IF LOOKS COULD KILL

MF Blume
February 21, 2016


Exodus 33:18-23 And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.  And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.  And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.  And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen. 



This was the scene after God saw Israel’s golden calf and told Moses He’d destroy Israel and raise people from Moses.
•    Moses begged God to change his mind.
•    God agreed but would send an angel instead of Himself to lead them.
•    Moses intervened again.
•    God agreed again and said He would lead.

But after God told Moses he would lead, Moses still wanted assurance, and asked to see God’s glory.

Moses said he did not want an angel leading them, and wanted to know GOD more than anything else.
•    It was the closest any man got to see God.
•    God told him he’d die if he saw his glory.
•    “Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.”

We recently learned about the cleft of the rock symbolizing Christ the rock who was stricken in death on the cross so we could see glory.
•    As God put Moses in the cleft to see His glory, God puts us INTO THE DEATH OF JESUS CHRIST so we can claim that death as our own.
•    And when His death becomes your death, you’ll see glory nobody else can see expect those baptized into His death as well.
•    You’ll see power of God.

You were raised with Jesus and have his resurrection life.
•    And the reason his power can come to you is because you required death for your sin.
•    Jesus’ death counts as your death so you can keep on living and have the penalty paid.
•    Your sin is forgiven and God’s power returns for you, and He can bless and can work on your behalf.
•    Satan’s power over you is broken.

Exodus 34:6-7  And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,  (7)  Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.

God spoke of forgiving thousands when His glory was made known to Moses.
•    Standing in Christ’s death is how thousands are forgiven!

Moses was told a greater glimpse of glory would be to see his face!

But you cannot see His face and live!

Watch how we see His face and die, but in a GLORIOUS positive way!

2 Corinthians 3:18-4:6  But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.  (4:1)  Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;  (2)  But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.  (3)  But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:  (4)  In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.  (5)  For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.  (6)  For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
LIGHT of the gospel.

God shined in our hearts the LIGHT as He shined in darkness and said LET THERE BE LIGHT in Genesis 1.
•    And the LIGHT or GLORY OF GOD is in the FACE OF JESUS CHRIST!
•    And notice he called it the LIGHT OF THE GOSPEL and the LIGHT OF THE KNOW#LEDGE OF GOD IN THE FACE OF JESUS.
•    THE GOSPEL IS …

1 Corinthians 15:1-4  Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;  (2)  By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.  (3)  For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;  (4)  And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:


So the LIGHT of the gospel in the face of Jesus is the DEATH, BURIAL AND RESURRECTION.
•    He shines that LIGHT of the death, burial and resurrection INTO OUR HEARTS!
•    And as with Moses that very same day, WE SHINE LIKE GOD SHINED.

Exodus 34:29  And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.

Exodus 34:30  And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him.

Exodus 34:33  And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a vail on his face.

Exodus 34:33 ISV  When Moses finished speaking with them he put a veil over his face,

2 Corinthians 3:13 ISV  not like Moses, who kept covering his face with a veil to keep the people of Israel from gazing at the end of what was fading away.

He veiled his face so the people could not see a GLORY THAT WOULD FADE AWAY IN TIME.

Exodus 34:29-30 ISV  When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, he had the two tablets in his hand, and he did not know that the skin of his face was ablaze with light because he had been speaking with God.  (30)  Aaron and all the Israelis saw Moses and immediately noticed that the skin of his face was shining, and they were afraid to come near him.

Paul explained the glory Moses saw was LESS than what we see today.

2 Corinthians 3:12-13 ISV  (12)  Therefore, since we have such a hope, we speak very boldly,  (13)  not like Moses, who kept covering his face with a veil to keep the people of Israel from gazing at the end of what was fading away.

Paul said not only did Moses see a lesser glory than we can, but the glory he saw represented what God did for people then…. It was glorious, but not as glorious as what god is doing now.
•    And like Moses shined with that lesser glory than we can see today, WE ALSO SHINE WITH GLORY, but GREATER.
•    Paul explained SPEAKING PLAINLY AND BOLDLY while the Old Law was LESS PLAIN and bold is how we have greater light than Moses did.
•    OUR LIGHT IS IN THE FACE OF JESUS AND JESUS IS NOT VEILED!

And it is light of the death burial and resurrection.
•    Watch carefully.
•    If Moses shone after seeing the light of God, and our light is the death, burial and resurrection, then the death burial and resurrection BECOMES PART OF US!
•    The light of His death SHINES ON US AND WE HAVE HIS DEATH!
•    It’s ours.
•    His burial and resurrection BECOMES OURS!
•    We’re baptized into that DEATH!

And so if seeing HIS FACE would not let us LIVE, then we really see the gospel in the fact that Paul said we SEE THE LIGHT OF GOD;S GLORY IN THE FACE OF JESUS CHRIST!
•    OUR LOOK AT HIS FACE sees the light of His death, burial and resurrection, and WE SHINE with HIS LIGHT, and WE ABSORB HIS DEATH, BURIAL AND RESURRECTION!
•    It becomes part of us.
•    If HIS DEATH becomes part of us when we LOOK AT HIS GLORY, then LOOKS REALLY DO KILL!
•    In a spiritual way, LOOKS REALLY DO KILL!

That’s why the LIGHT is called the gospel of his death, burial and resurrection.
•    It’s the reason God told Moses no man can LIVE if they see his FACE!
•    When you see THIS light in the face of Christ’s, and it’s his death, THEN IT KILLS.
•    You can’t see his face and live.
•    You can’t really get the gospel without dying with Christ!
•    If you never died with Christ, you never saw HIS LIGHT!
•    It demands your death!
•    And the way you die is by TAKING HIS DEATH into your life!
•    And your heart might never have stopped, and your lungs never ceased to pump oxygen into your body, but GOD SEES IT LIKE YOU DIED WHEN JESUS DIED.
•    And seeing the light of His death CAUSES YOU TO DIE IN HIS EYES.
•    Now YOU need to see it IN YOUR EYES!
•    You need to look at yourself that way!

John 12:21 The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus. 

To SEE Jesus look what He SAYS.

John 12:23-25 And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.  Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.  He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. 

If you want to SEE Him, He will TALK to you about HIS DEATH where HE IS MULTIPLIED so when he rises MANY MORE PEOPLE RISE WITH HIM.
You have to hate LIFE IN THE WORLD’S WAY of life.
•    That is HOW YOU DIE!
•    You LOSE IT so you can have it forever.
•    It not only informs us that HIS death becomes OUR death, like God’s glory became Moses’, but you also have to die to the way of living your life LIKE THE WORLD.
•    SIN.
•    You are now HIS PROPERTY.
•    You do not do things He would not be pleased with doing.
•    Not go places He would not be pleased with.
•    Not be with people who do sinful things and also doing those deeds whom he would not be pleased with you doing.

This LIFE IN THE WORLD must be hated… sacrifice some of the pleasures OF SIN.
•    We’re children of LIGHT NOW.

Ephesians 5:2-11 ISV  Live lovingly, just as the Messiah also loved us and gave himself for us as an offering and sacrifice, a fragrant aroma to God.  (3)  Do not let sexual sin, impurity of any kind, or greed even be mentioned among you, as is proper for saints.  (4)  Obscene, flippant, or vulgar talk is totally inappropriate. Instead, let there be thanksgiving.  (5)  For you know very well that no immoral or impure person, or anyone who is greedy (that is, an idolater), has an inheritance in the kingdom of the Messiah and of God.  (6)  Do not let anyone deceive you with meaningless words, for it is because of these things that God becomes angry with those who disobey.  (7)  So do not be partners with them.  (8)  For once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light,  (9)  for the fruit that the light produces consists of every form of goodness, righteousness, and truth.  (10)  Determine what pleases the Lord,  (11)  and have nothing to do with the unfruitful actions that darkness produces. Instead, expose them for what they are.

Not only does HIS DEATH become YOURS when you absorb HIS LIGHT of the gospel, but that also means YOU HAVE TO ACT LIKE His death is yours.
•    Walk as children of light now.
•    Don’t do sinful things and go to sinful places.
•    Come out from among that mess.

2 Corinthians 6:17 KJV  Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

2 Corinthians 6:14 KJV  Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 KJV  (19)  What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?  (20)  For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

After Jesus spoke to the Greeks about Himself as a kernel of wheat in need of dying, He then said:
John 12:31-33 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.  And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.  This he said, signifying what death he should die. 

And when YOU SEE HIS DEATH BECOME YOUR DEATH, HIS RESURRECTION AND KINGDOM ENTHRONEMENT BECOMES YOURS!

Ephesians 1:19-21 KJV  And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, ACCORDING TO the working of his mighty power,  (20)  Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,  (21)  Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:

Ephesians 2:5-6 KJV  Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)  (6)  And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

 


SERMONS