name – Praying Pint

45. “Wilderness” – 9.f. ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.’

Exodus 33:12-17 Moses said to the LORD, “See, you say to me, ‘Bring up this people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.’ 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 and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and 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.”

For Moses, it wasn’t enough to know that he and Israel would make it to the Promised Land. In his estimation, the Promised Land was nothing special without the special presence of the LORD. “Moses is now concerned to obtain both a guarantee of that presence for his people, and also the enjoyment of a closer experience of it for himself.” Moses was determined to have God’s presence with Israel as close as possible. Moses was bold in drawing near to God, but he based the boldness on the grace God had already shown to him. This was a good ground for drawing near. Moses was almost obsessed with God. He was still on earth, but he connected everything to God in heaven. God seemed to answer Moses’ prayer, but Moses did not rest. He continued to press God for affirmation of the promise. This shows how boldly Moses sought after God for the sake of his own relationship with God and for the benefit of the nation.

Moses knew that nothing the LORD could give them would make them truly different from the nations. Only the strong presence of the LORD Himself could do that. Moses wanted something for Israel that would show that they were not just like all the other nations, and that could only be the unique, powerful presence of their God. “‘Now,’ said Moses to God, ‘I am asking for this something extra, because I am concerned. Here we are thy people. How are all the other nations to know that we really are your people? They are looking on at us, they are laughing at us, mocking us and jeering at us, they are ready to overwhelm us. Now, I am asking for something,’ said Moses, ‘that will make it absolutely clear that we are not just one of the nations of the world, but that we are thy people, that we are separate, unique, altogether apart.’” God honored the bold intercession of Moses, and He promised to restore His relationship with Israel. (Guzik)

Do we seek and desire to know the promises of God? Do we proclaim them in our prayer(s)? Do we honor and glorify God by speaking to Him about His promises? Do we trust His promises? Do we rely on His Promises? Do we believe them without a doubt?

If the answer is “yes” then all of our days will be filled with awe and wonder at the grace and mercy He has given, and our lives will be lived so that honor and glory are given to Him in every thought, word, and act we do.

19.f. “But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ”

John 20:30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Luke 1:3-4     it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,  that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.

Romans 15:4   For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

1 Corinthians 10:11  Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.

2 Timothy 3:15-17  and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.  All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,  that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

The Gospel – and all of the Bible – was written so that we may believe, not that we might doubt. “There is no text in the whole Book which was intended to create doubt. Doubt is a seed self-sown, or sown by the devil, and it usually springs up with more than sufficient abundance without our care.” (Spurgeon)

John understood that faith in Jesus as Messiah and God had value beyond the honorable recognition of truth. It also carried the promise of life in His name. This was the life that transformed John himself, and he wanted that same life and transformation for all through his Gospel account. This belief isn’t complicated. Our response is as simple as ABC: Accept, Believe, and Commit. It isn’t always easy, but it isn’t complicated.

We do try to complicate the gospel. We try to understand it with human understanding and human wisdom. The human side of understanding will try to make sense of Jesus Christ, redemption, forgiveness, and salvation by means of doing more good things than bad and thereby being good enough to deserve redemption and forgiveness. Scripture does not say “To whom so ever is good enough, God sent His one and only Son”. It does say that “God so loved the world, that He sent His one and only Son.” It is by grace, mercy, and love we have access to redemption, salvation, and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. The point being, you will never be good enough or do enough good to warrant eternal life through Jesus Christ. When the human mind is able to cast these thoughts aside, faith is born and godly wisdom and understanding take root. It is only then that we can begin to faintly grasp a sliver of the magnitude of God’s grace, mercy, and love.

8.k. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty

Revelation 19:11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

Faithful and true, the Word of God, and King of kings and Lord of lords, all describe Jesus Christ at His return to earth. Heaven opens and Christ is seen bringing armies of heaven. The battle that is about to take place will cast judgment on nations, (all of those who rejected God). They will experience the fury of the wrath of God. We know and experience God’s grace, mercy, and love. It is hard for us to understand the fury of His wrath. We can read stories of some of His judgments on nations and individuals but nothing like this has happened before. Wars, famine, disease, earthquakes, hail stones, fire, drought, etc….. all lead up to the fury of God’s wrath but are in no way to be considered other than judgments on man and nations with witnesses present and proclaiming salvation through Jesus Christ. Now these witnesses are gone. All that remains are those who reject and deny and blaspheme God. They did not repent and will now see His fury. All the times they have rejected Christ will flash before their eyes and in a moment they will realize He is Lord of lords and King of kings. They have all said in their heart that they will not acknowledge Him or bow to Him and will suffer eternity in hell because of this. In the end they will kneel and bow before Him. The sad thing is that all of these people have intentionally chosen to reject Him. They have chosen confusion, unrest, fear, hate, and war in hopes it will satisfy their soul some way. They have rejected peace, love, grace, mercy, joy, happiness, and rest in Jesus Christ in exchange for what the world has to offer. They chose to believe a lie and will suffer eternity for the choice they have made in this life, this side of eternity. There is still time to repent and come to Jesus Christ. There is still time to repent and be forgiven. There is still time today. Do not wait until it is too late.