Some women say that after the holy communion, when we are reminded of the Lord, we should be silent and not speak. I always feel that way. We have met the Lord before the table, and inwardly we are very satisfied.
I feel really bad every time I have to share at the holy communion. However, since the Lord arranged it this way, I will submit to it. That is okay.
Yesterday I really fell short, brothers and sisters. I was confused about the time. Today I was delayed a little bit, and on the other hand, I know that we are ready before the Lord and should share today’s message. So I am in conflict within myself.
On the one hand, I feel that I should make up for what I fell short of for you. On the other hand, I hope that the Holy Spirit will not be disrupted. This time, we have gathered together to look at the vision of Moses.
Our goal is not only to see the vision of Moses. We hope that, through sharing Moses’ vision, God will have mercy upon us so that we also may see the same vision.
The purpose is to encourage us. If we only see that Moses saw a vision, but we do not see what he saw, then we have lost the purpose of the Bible.
I really hope that the God who gives the spirit of wisdom will reveal to us, so that the eyes of our inner being may be opened. Then, in the spirit, we can see what Moses saw.
Compared with Moses, we should see Him more clearly today, because what Moses saw was only a shadow, but what we see is the reality. We really pray that God will be gracious to us.
Moses saw the Angel of the Lord in the burning bush. Not only did he see, but he also heard. Through this vision, he received a commission.
We know that if we truly see something before the Lord, at the same time we will receive a commission before the Lord.
We have seen that God sent Moses to the mountain. He did not merely receive the Ten Commandments for the Israelites, so that they could become God’s people. God is a holy and righteous God, and therefore He requires His people to be holy and righteous.
But this is only the process. God’s purpose is to dwell among His people. Therefore, on the mountain, God set forth the pattern of the tabernacle to Moses.
God told Moses, “When you build the tabernacle, everything in it must be according to the pattern shown on the mountain.”
Moses was a faithful servant. Even though he had much knowledge, he could lay himself down completely and follow the pattern on the mountain in building the tabernacle.
After the tabernacle was built, God’s glory filled the entire tabernacle. Whatever follows God’s command will be filled with God’s glory. This means that God accepted what Moses had done.
Brothers and sisters, the tabernacle is only a shadow. The reality of the heavenly things is very crucial, because the reality of the heavenly things is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ.
He is the reality of all heavenly things. Therefore, our knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ must follow what God has revealed. We cannot subtract, nor can we add, because God is jealous concerning this. Nothing can be changed.
When our Lord was incarnated and became a man on earth, outwardly there was no beauty that we should be attracted to Him. But thank God, there was so much beauty within Him.
It is just like the tabernacle. Within it were fine linen, blue, purple, and scarlet yarns, with skillful workmanship. It was very beautiful. Yet there were many coverings, and outwardly there was no beauty. Inwardly, however, it was full of beauty.
This is our Lord when He was on earth. He fulfilled all that was necessary so that we could receive grace.
Not only does the tabernacle represent our Lord Jesus Christ, but its materials, measurements, colors, and composition all enable us to see God’s Son.
We also know that the tabernacle has a second representation: it represents the body of Christ, which is the church.
When our Lord Jesus Christ ascended to heaven, there were one hundred and twenty people in the upper room in Jerusalem. The Holy Spirit descended, and the Bible tells us that in one Spirit they became one body.
Before that, they were one hundred and twenty individual people. Even though they were saints—indeed, great saints, including the twelve apostles, Mary the mother of Jesus, and His brothers—they were still one hundred and twenty people.
On the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit put them together as one body. They were no longer one hundred and twenty individuals; they were one body with one hundred and twenty members. See how different that is.
What is this body? It is the body of Jesus Christ. The Head is in heaven, and He has a mystical body on earth. This began on the Day of Pentecost, and even two thousand years later, the body is still growing.
The Lord Jesus Christ has obtained a great body on earth. All the saved people, all the born-again people, are within this body. Praise God—you are in this body, I am in this body, and we are all in the body of Christ.
God is going to use this body. He will continue to speak, and He will continue to work.
Where two or three gather together in His name, the Lord is among them. When the church is on earth, it is also like a tent. Just as the Lord was incarnated and pitched His tent on earth, today we as the church are also placed on the earth to testify for our Lord Jesus Christ.
Christ is the content of the church. Brothers and sisters, something amazing is revealed here: What is the church?
We all know that the church is not a building. It is not merely a building on a street corner. The church is not an organization; it is a living organism.
Who makes up the church? People like us—people who have been saved and connected into the body of Christ.
However, brothers and sisters, if the church is merely people like us, it is no wonder that there are so many problems in the church. Although we have been saved by grace, the self is still there.
If we have not been dealt with by the cross, we do not bring Christ into the church. Instead, we bring that which is outside of Christ, and we destroy the testimony of Christ. This is a serious matter.
What is the church? Is the church you and me? In one sense, yes; but ultimately, no. What does the Bible say?
In 1 Corinthians 12, there is one body with many members. There are many members, yet one body.
Why is this so? Because in the church there is only Christ. There is no you and no me. Christ is everything. He fills all things and is above all.
Sometimes I explain this to young people in this way. One time I was with several brothers in a meeting. I said, “I am going to use something that some brothers may not like, because I am trying to help people understand.”
There is no formula in spiritual matters. No formula. Spiritual things are living. If you have a formula, it is no longer spiritual.
But to help people understand, sometimes we use a formula. What is the church? Let us say that Peter, John, and James are three of the best people on earth. Could there be better people than these three? No.
Is the church equal to Peter plus John plus James? We say, “No, that is not right.”
What is the church? The Christ in Peter plus the Christ in John plus the Christ in James—that is the church. Amen? No, not yet. Why?
Even if there is Christ in Peter, Christ in John, and Christ in James, Peter is still there, John is still there, and James is still there. There is still a problem.
Peter always wanted to be a leader. James and John also wanted prominence. They even asked their mother to come on their behalf. Everyone wanted to be a leader. How could that be the church? It is impossible.
Do we want Peter there? Yes, we want Peter there. Do we want James there? Yes, we want James there. But if we do not have them under the cross, and cannot bring Christ into the church, that is not the church.
What, then, is the church? The Christ in Peter minus Peter, plus the Christ in John minus John, plus the Christ in James minus James—this is the church.
We hope that this is not merely a formula. This is the spiritual reality. We need to be rid of ourselves through the cross.
Then, when we come together, we are formed into one body under one Spirit, and Christ can fill the whole place.
The tabernacle also represents the church. God said that whatever is built must follow the pattern on the mountain.
Anything not based on the knowledge of Christ will destroy the testimony. The building of the church is completely based on Christ. Therefore, we must be very careful. We cannot change anything.
Concerning the tabernacle as a representation of the church, whether it is the curtains, the coverings, or the boards, there is meaning in every part.
I will mention one thing. In building the tabernacle, upright frames were used. The curtains were above, but they were held up by boards.
What were these boards made of? They were made of acacia wood. Acacia wood is not like ordinary wood that easily decays. It represents humanity that cannot be destroyed.
Wood represents man. When our Lord became man, He was like acacia wood. His life could not decay, and His character did not change.
Today, in Christ, we are also new people. Before, we were going to perish. But because of the work of Christ, and because we are in Christ, we are a new creation. All things have become new.
Within the church, we are all like boards. We are all acacia wood. We are all a new creation, built together in that new creation.
The forty-eight boards were connected together. Under each board were two sockets, enabling it to stand upright. If there had been only one support, it could not stand securely.
The boards were one and a half cubits wide, not three cubits. This represents that even a person like us must be connected with brothers and sisters.
There were bars that connected all the boards together, so that they became one tabernacle. This is also very crucial.
Individually before the Lord, we must stand firm. But we must also stand with our brothers and sisters. It is not a question of whether one can stand by oneself. We need brothers and sisters.
Thank God, in Christ we are all connected into one. We are all together in unity.
Remember 1 Corinthians 16:13. What did Paul say to the Corinthians? “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.”
This is like a board. We all have to stand under the grace of the Lord, and we have to be connected with one another. We are connected into one body, and God’s glory can flow from within.
The tabernacle also reveals to us the way to God. There is only one way, and that way is our Lord.
The Lord said:
I am the way, and the truth, and the life:
no one cometh unto the Father, but by Me.
All the furniture inside the tabernacle, from the courtyard to the Most Holy Place, enables us to see Christ Jesus. The altar speaks of the cross of Christ and of redemption and salvation.
There is one piece of furniture that I want to mention: after the bronze altar, one comes to the bronze laver.
When the priests were about to offer sacrifices on the altar, they had to wash their hands and feet at the laver. Before they went into the holy place to serve the Lord, they had to wash.
Why was this necessary? The tabernacle was built in the wilderness, where there was much dust. At that time, people wore sandals. Even after bathing, dust would gather on their feet as they walked. Their hands also became unclean by touching things.
If you are going to serve the Lord, you cannot come with this defilement, because God is a holy God. Therefore, you must wash your hands and feet at the laver before you can serve.
What does the laver represent? It represents our Lord Jesus Christ.
Not only did He bear our sins on the cross, but Ephesians 5 tells us that He loved the church and gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify it through the washing of water with the word, so that the church might be holy and without blemish.
The laver represents the life of the Lord. Every day He cleanses us so that we may be sanctified, serve the Lord, and serve people.
Remember how the Lord washed the disciples’ feet at supper. Today He constantly washes our feet. We pass through this world, and although our sins have been forgiven, the world still contaminates us.
In the morning, when you come before the Lord and pray, you may feel very intimate with Him. But after you go out to work, or study throughout the day, when you pray at night, you may feel that something is hindering you inwardly.
You may not have committed some obvious sin, but you still need the life of Christ to do its cleansing work. Then, before the Lord, you are renewed and can truly serve Him.
Every day we need the Lord to cleanse us. The Holy Spirit is within us, using the word and the life of Christ to remind us and cleanse us, so that we may be fresh before the Lord and able to serve the Lord and others.
The laver was made of bronze, and bronze represents judgment. Where did this bronze come from? Its origin is very special.
The bronze came from the mirrors of the women who served at the entrance of the tent of meeting. We know that people like mirrors; they like to look at themselves and see how beautiful they are.
But these women who served the Lord gave themselves wholeheartedly. They forgot their own beauty. They no longer looked at themselves or cared for themselves in that way. They gave their bronze mirrors to the Lord.
Those mirrors were melted into the bronze laver. What was the purpose? So that all those who served the Lord could see their blemishes and uncleanness.
You may say, “I did not sin.” But even if you have not committed some outward sin, the dust of the world can still make you unclean, and you are not worthy to serve the Lord.
Thank God for all the women who loved the Lord and were able to lay themselves down. When we come before the bronze laver, it reveals our condition.
Many times we think that we are doing quite well. Then we come before a brother or sister, and we feel that something is wrong. Perhaps that brother or sister is like a mirror shining upon us. Thank God—through this we can repent.
The life of the Lord and His word can truly cleanse us. Our Lord is so precious.
Do not think that the precious blood of the cross is all that is needed and that everything is finished. We must also see the life of Christ cleansing us every day so that we are sanctified and able to serve this holy God.
Now we come to today’s matter. When Moses was on Mount Sinai, he received the Ten Commandments. He was there forty days and forty nights. He neither ate nor drank, but stood before the Lord.
God gave him the Ten Commandments and also showed him the pattern of the tabernacle. Because Moses was on the mountain for so long, the Israelites grew impatient while waiting for him to return.
They did not have much experience of spiritual matters. They needed something concrete to lead them. They could not see God; they only saw Moses, and Moses had been leading them.
When Moses was no longer visible to them, they went to Aaron and said, “Make us an image that we can see and touch.” People are like this. They like what they can see and touch; otherwise, they feel that nothing is there.
They depended upon Moses. When Moses was no longer there, they told Aaron, “Make an idol for us.”
Aaron told them to take off the golden earrings of their wives, sons, and daughters. They brought the gold to him, and he made a golden calf.
The people said, “This is the god that brought us out of Egypt.” Aaron built an altar before it and proclaimed a feast to the Lord. He connected idolatry with the worship of the Lord.
They offered sacrifices, and afterward they began to dance and rejoice.
God said to Moses, “Go down quickly. The people whom you brought out are worshiping a golden calf.” God was angry.
God said to Moses, “Let Me alone, that I may destroy them. I will raise up from you a great nation.”
This was a great test. What did Moses say? He said, “God, these are Your people, not my people. You brought them out of Egypt.”
“If You destroy them, the nations will misunderstand the purpose for which You led them out of Egypt. Remember the covenant You made with Abraham. You said that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars of heaven.”
The Lord listened to Moses’ prayer and forgave the sin of the Israelites.
Then Moses came down from the mountain. Joshua had been waiting for him midway on the mountain. We often remember Moses but forget Joshua. Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights, and Joshua was also there for forty days.
Moses was before the Lord, while Joshua was waiting by himself. Yet this young man could remain there for forty days. We truly see God’s grace in him.
When Moses came to Joshua, the two of them came down from the mountain. Joshua heard a noise below. Because he was a fighter, he thought there was war. Moses said, “This is not the sound of war; it is the sound of people singing.”
When they came down, they saw the Israelites dancing and singing around the golden calf. They had degraded themselves.
God’s anger was revealed in Moses. He took the two tablets of stone, written by God Himself, and threw them down at the foot of the mountain.
Then he took the golden calf, burned it, ground it into powder, scattered it upon the water, and made the Israelites drink it. In other words, they had to drink their own sin.
Moses asked Aaron, “Why did you do this?” Aaron was afraid. He said, “I told them to give me the gold. I threw it into the fire, and this golden calf came out.” But the Bible says that Aaron had fashioned the golden calf.
God said to the Israelites, “I will not go with you anymore. I can send My angel before you, but I will not go with you, lest I destroy you, because I am a holy God.”
When the Israelites heard these words, they took off their jewelry before the Lord. They had a repentant heart.
Moses returned before the Lord and interceded. He prayed, “Forgive them. Otherwise, blot my name out of the book of life.”
Brothers and sisters, here we see a person filled with the love of God. He could love as God loves. He was willing to sacrifice himself for God’s people.
God said that whoever had sinned against Him would be blotted out. Yet Moses continued to seek the Lord, asking, “Who will go with us? Show me Your way; otherwise, I do not know how to go forward.”
The Lord said, “My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.”
Moses said:
If Thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.
For wherein now shall it be known that I have found grace in Thy sight, I and Thy people?
Is it not in that Thou goest with us, so that we are distinguished, I and Thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth?
Without Your presence, we have nothing. Thank God. Moses received grace before the Lord.
Brothers and sisters, do we understand the heart of God? Are we concerned for God as Moses was? Are we willing to lay ourselves down completely in order to fulfill God’s will and serve God’s people?
In the New Testament, Paul was like this. Because of the body of Christ, he was willing to suffer. He bore the burdens of the whole church. Whoever was weak, he was weak with them; whoever stumbled, he burned with concern.
Here we see a servant of God who truly understood the heart of God. He also saw that the presence of the Lord distinguishes us from all other people.
How are we distinguished from others if God does not go with us? Where shall we go? Moses treasured God’s presence.
Brothers and sisters, do we treasure His presence? Without His presence, we are in vain. We can give up everything, but we cannot give up the presence of God.
Our pursuit is His presence. What we pursue is the Lord Himself. With Him, we can do everything; without Him, everything is vain. This is the faith of Moses, and this is what we should ask for.
Because Moses had received such grace before the Lord, he went one step further. He prayed a prayer that he had not dared to pray before.
There is no prayer deeper than this. He said, “God, since I have found grace in Your sight, show me Your glory.”
The Angel of the Lord had already revealed Himself to Moses in the burning bush. Fire had come down at the entrance of the tabernacle. God had spoken to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. Moses and the seventy elders had seen the glory of God on the mountain.
In the Old Testament, God revealed Himself many times. Why, then, was Moses still asking, “Lord, show me Your glory”?
What Moses was asking for was different from what he had seen in the past. Before, even though he saw the glory of God, that glory was within a form, like a shadow. It was not God Himself.
What Moses was asking now was this: “I want to see You Yourself. I do not only want the fire or the outward manifestation. I want to see You face to face.”
Brothers and sisters, this is a profound prayer. Moses longed for the heart of God. Though God had revealed Himself many times, Moses wanted to know God Himself.
Our knowledge of God is rich, but our pursuit is often shallow. We think we know Him a little, and then we are satisfied. We no longer pursue Him.
Remember what Paul said in Philippians 3:10:
That I may know Him,
and the power of His resurrection,
and the fellowship of His sufferings,
becoming conformed unto His death.
Brothers and sisters, how strong is our desire to know God? God is infinite. Do not think that you should be satisfied with knowing Him only a little.
The little that we know is only a little. Our God is infinite. We should have a heart that says, “I want to know You. I want to know You more. I want to have more intimate fellowship with You.”
Even though I have received grace before You, I should have an even deeper longing to know You. The riches of Christ are unsearchable and immeasurable.
What did the Lord say? “Thou hast found grace in My sight, and I know thee by name.”
But God also said that no one can see His face and live. God dwells in light that no person can approach.
Our eyes cannot even look directly at the sun that God created. If we look at the sun, its light can blind our eyes. How much more the Creator of the sun? He dwells in light that no man can approach.
No one can stand before the Lord in himself. Yet God said, “You have found grace in My sight.”
God told Moses, “I will proclaim My name before thee. I will put thee in a cleft of the rock. As My glory passeth by, I will cover thee with My hand. Then I will remove My hand, and thou shalt see My back; but My face shall not be seen.”
The glory of the Lord descended, and God proclaimed His name.
God does not have a physical form, so how can He have a back? This is language that helps us understand. God’s name is His “back”—that is, the part of Himself that He reveals to us.
What is His name? The Lord, the Lord.
The Lord is the name of the covenant. It is the name of the One who always is. It reveals His relationship with us.
Though He is the Creator of all things and far above all creation, He is also the Lord who has an intimate relationship with His people.
He gave Himself to us through the covenant. He is the great “I AM.” If we have Him, we lack nothing.
What kind of Lord is He? He is merciful and gracious.
Mercy means that His grace is set upon people who are not worthy of His grace. Mercy is connected with our unworthiness. Who is more unworthy than we are? Yet thank God, He has mercy upon us.
What is grace? Grace is connected with God Himself. God Himself is full of grace, and He gives Himself to us.
God is full of mercy and grace. He has mercy upon unworthy people like us. He is slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness.
Because of His patience and forbearance, we are not destroyed. How much He has borne with us until today! Many times I have said before the Lord, “God, how can You tolerate me so much? You should have dealt with me long ago.”
Thank God, His forbearance and patience do not change. He is slow to anger. Even though He is righteous, holy, and true, He is patient with us. He bears with us and forgives us many times.
Many times we cannot tolerate our brothers and sisters. We become angry with them easily. But the Bible continually reminds us that we need to bear with one another and forgive one another, because our God is such a God.
He is willing to forgive iniquity, transgression, and sin. Yet this does not mean that He is not righteous. He will not regard sin as though it were not sin.
If we do not depend upon the precious blood of Christ, God will visit the iniquity to the third and fourth generation. This is God’s name.
Brothers and sisters, many times we think that the God of the Old Testament is a violent and angry God, while the God of the New Testament is compassionate and loving. We misunderstand God.
God never changes. His name is the Lord: merciful and gracious. God is love. This is His name; this is God Himself.
Do we know God in this way?
When Moses heard this proclamation, he fell prostrate on the ground. He said, “Lord, please forgive us. Allow Your people to be Your inheritance, even though we are not worthy.”
Because You are such a God, You can receive us as Your inheritance. Thank God.
When Moses came down from the mountain, his face was shining, though he did not know it. The people were afraid to look at him.
Whenever Moses came before the Lord, he removed the veil from his face. But when he spoke to the people, he put the veil back on.
Even this radiance was fading. As 2 Corinthians 3 explains, the glory on Moses’ face was gradually passing away.
Why was there radiance on Moses’ face? Because he had fellowship with God. He lived before God. He was intimate with God. He received God’s glory and heard God’s name, and God’s glory was reflected from his face.
He did not know that he was radiant. Thank God that he did not know. Many people today want others to notice their spirituality, but Moses had radiance and did not know it.
Brothers and sisters, the vision Moses saw was the highest vision in the Old Testament. One could not see a higher vision than this. Moses almost saw God Himself, for he saw God’s back.
But you and I today have received something even greater than what Moses received. Today we can see God’s face.
Our Lord Jesus Christ was incarnated in the flesh and came to earth, full of grace and truth. We beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father.
No one has seen God at any time, but the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, has declared Him.
People cannot see God because God does not have a visible form. But when God’s Son became man on earth, He revealed the Father. He is the face of God.
Before, Moses heard God’s name. Now, in Christ, we see God’s face. Before, Moses heard that God was full of grace and mercy. Now, in Christ, we see grace and mercy.
The law came through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. When we see Christ Jesus, we see grace. We understand what grace is. When we see Christ, we see truth. We know what truth is.
Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, today we have seen God’s face. This is a great thing.
2 Corinthians 3:18 tells us:
But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord,
are transformed into the same image from glory to glory,
even as from the Lord the Spirit.
The light that shone in our hearts enables us to see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Thank God and praise God for such grace.
The prayer of Moses was only partially answered in his day. But in Christ, God has already given us what Moses sought. Unfortunately, we often do not consider this precious.
In Psalm 27, David said:
One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after:
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the Lord,
And to inquire in His temple.
David had this desire before God. Moses also had such a prayer before God: he wanted to see God’s glory. Today, we have received grace. Do we have this longing within us?
Can you live one day without seeing God’s face?
Many times I pray before God, “God, do not hide Your face from me. Reveal Your face to me. Let me see You.”
Brothers and sisters, God has given us such grace, but we often do not consider it precious. Do we come before Him every day, quietly gazing upon His beauty and glory in the face of the Lord Jesus Christ?
This is the grace that God has given every one of us. The veil in the Most Holy Place has already been torn. Today, we may enter the Most Holy Place.
Every day we can live before God and gaze upon His beauty. When you open your heart and gaze upon God’s beauty, the Holy Spirit will do a work of transformation within you.
This is not like Moses, whose outward radiance eventually faded. Today, if you live in the light of God and are intimate with the Lord, there need be no obstacle between you and the Lord.
If we can live this way before the Lord, the Holy Spirit will transform us inwardly from glory to glory. This transformation comes from the Spirit.
Then the form of the Lord Jesus Christ will be revealed within us. This is God’s goal. This is the work God has for every one of us. This is the work of the Holy Spirit. This is God’s grace.
We hope that we may consider this precious. In ourselves, we cannot see God. We are not worthy to see God, and we would die if we saw God in ourselves.
But thank God, He has placed us in Christ. In Christ, we can see God’s face. There is no obstacle.
When Moses saw this vision, he fell prostrate before the Lord and worshiped.
Brothers and sisters, if we see God’s face every day, no one who sees God’s face will remain proud. A proud person sees only himself. Whoever truly sees the Lord will fall to the ground.
There is only the Lord. There is no place for man. This is the natural consequence of seeing Him.
Today, if you truly live before the Lord, God will give you a commission. You will pray for God’s people, that all God’s children may become God’s inheritance and that God Himself may be our inheritance.
If you have truly seen a vision, there will be a result. Otherwise, it is only a mirage. If you have truly seen, there will definitely be a result, and God’s people will receive the benefit.
Our God, in Christ You have given us a place that we cannot measure. Why do You love us so much?
Since You have given us such a position, we can see Your face revealed in Your Son. May Your Spirit attract our hearts through Your word, that we may live in the glorious Christ.
We hope that Your will may quickly come upon us. All glory be given to You. In the Lord Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.