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Encounters with God is a sermon series about the theophanies or divine appearances and how they reveal the stunning character of God and his heart for a world that is lost without him. At Mount Sinai, Moses asks God to teach him His ways and show him His glory so he might know God better. God responds with an incredible display of His glory and with the stunning revelation of His character. Do you want to know what God is like? Recorded on Nov 14, 2021, on Exodus 33-34, by Pastor David Parks. Sermon Transcript All year, we’re talking about The Greatness of God. And today, we’re continuing a sermon series called Encounters with God. In the Bible, when God appears to someone it’s known as a theophany or divine appearing. And these encounters are wild stories, full of surprises. God never seems to act how we would expect. However, these stories reveal the stunning character of God and his heart for a world that is lost without him. Today, we’ll consider another encounter of Moses with God in Exodus 33. Last week in part 1, we saw the famous story of Moses and the burning bush, and we saw God’s faithfulness to save. Today, we’ll get just a little view of the glory of God. If you have a Bible/app, please open to Exodus 33:12. We’ll read through this story together and unpack it as we go.  Exodus 33:12-17 (NIV), “12 Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ 13 If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”14 The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest. 15 Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. 16 How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?” 17 And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.” Ok, let’s pause here. So last week, we saw God appear to Moses in the burning bush and send him to lead the people of Israel out of captivity in Egypt and into the land that God had promised to Abraham and Sarah and their descendants. Moses was understandably a little hesitant given both his qualifications and the immensity of this task. But eventually, he went and did what God called him to do. Now here, the people of ancient Israel are free and are camped at Mount Sinai. This is the same place where God called to Moses from the burning bush back in Exodus 3. Moses is back with a whole nation of people. Now, God had miraculously freed his people from the hand of Pharaoh, with signs and wonders and the parting of the Red Sea, but it wasn’t all smooth sailing. While Moses met with God on Mount Sinai earlier in Exodus and was receiving the Law which would govern the people in the promised land, the people fell back into idol worship in making the golden calf. After dealing with that disaster, Moses is back on the mountain talking with God. In the passage we just read, Moses says to God, “You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you.” Now, maybe the incident with the golden calf revealed to Moses just how difficult this leadership task would be. So he makes this request, and this is such a great prayer request for us today. “Lord, teach me your ways. Teach me what you value. Teach me what you care about. Teach me what you despise. Teach me what to avoid. Teach me how to be wise. Teach me how to keep myself from evil. Lord, teach me your ways.” This is a wonderful prayer if you’re a young person here today.