We're honored and privileged to have Brother David Pledger with us today. And David, you come ahead and preach for us. Tell us some more about that effectual pluck.

Good morning. Let's open our Bibles today to the book of Exodus chapter 33. I want to read some scripture from chapter 33 and a few verses also from chapter 34.

Exodus chapter 33 and beginning with verse 18, and he, that is Moses said, I beseech thee, show 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 show mercy on whom I will show 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's 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 cliff 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.

And then in the next chapter, beginning with verse five, and the Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there and proclaimed the name of the Lord. And the Lord passed by before him and proclaimed, the Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth, 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 unto the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation. And Moses made haste, bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped.

I want to speak to us from these verses this morning by asking and answering three questions. The first question is, what did Moses mean by his prayer where we began in verse 18, I beseech thee, show me thy glory. What did he mean by asking that when we remember what all Moses had witnessed to this point? Show me thy glory.

The ten plagues, the ten plagues in Egypt he had witnessed, and all of them manifested the power and the glory of God. I think of the one where there was light in the houses of the Israelites and darkness among the Egyptians. What a miracle that was, as well as all the others. He had witnessed that bush that burned. He turned aside to see it because he had never seen anything like this before in the middle of the desert. A bush that's on fire, but it's not consumed. He had witnessed God opening up the Red Sea and all the Israelites going through. He had witnessed, to this point, God raining bread down out of heaven. And yes, he had witnessed God giving water out of a rock. I heard your dad one time say, if all the people had got together and tried to figure out where God is going to give us water, no one would have ever thought it's going to come out of a rock. No one. Yes, he had witnessed so much, but now he asked, I beseech thee, show me thy glory.

Well, if you look down in verse 20, I believe we understand what he's asking by the Lord's answer. And the Lord said, Thou canst not see my face, for there shall no man see me and live. When Moses here asked to see the Lord's glory, I believe he's asking to see God. He's asking to see absolute God. And the Lord tells him, no man in the position or condition that Moses was at that time, a mortal man, no one can See me, absolute God, and live. No one can see my face.

You know, Moses must have known that in heaven we will see God. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Well, in 1 Timothy 6, the apostle Paul speaks of God like this, who only hath immortality, dwelling in light which no man can approach unto, whom no man has seen nor can see, to whom be honor and power everlasting." Moses is asking here for something that is not possible for anyone to experience in this body of flesh, to see absolute God.

You say, well, the Lord told his disciples, he that hath seen me hath seen the Father. Yes, but they saw God in Christ. The fullness of the Godhead dwelleth bodily in Christ. They didn't see absolute God. That's what Moses is asking for here. In the letter of Colossians, the apostle Paul wrote this, giving thanks unto the Father which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light. He must make us meet, in other words, he must qualify us to be partakers, to experience the glory of heaven where God Almighty dwells, absolute God. God is spirit, we know that.

Well, how did the Lord answer Moses' prayer? That's his prayer, that's his request. Show me thy glory. Let me see thee, let me see thee, God. No man, no man, no mortal flesh can see me, my face, and live. Well, how did he answer? And he did answer his prayer. He did. You know, Moses had been praying for the nation of Israel up to this point. They had sinned a great sin in their idolatry with that golden cap. And Moses had interceded for the nation. Two times, at least, he had interceded for them. At one time, God said, let me alone. God speaks as a man, let me alone, I'll destroy this whole nation. They're stiff-necked people, and I'll raise up a nation from you, Moses. And Moses said, well, if you won't forgive them, then blot me out of your book. That's much like the Apostle Paul said in Romans, isn't it? When he prayed for his kinsmen according to the flesh. I could wish myself a curse from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen, according to the flesh.

But he comes to the place now, and God had answered his prayer for the nation of Israel, and now he asks something for himself. Let me, I beseech thee, let me see thy glory. How did he answer his prayer? He answered his prayer by putting him in the cleft of the rock. and by passing by. He covered him, the scripture tells us, he covered him with his hand as he passed by and it was only like he got a glimpse or a shadow of the Lord as he went by. He showed Moses his glory, that's what he asked for. Show me thy glory. He showed Moses his glory by causing his goodness, his goodness to pass before him. and by proclaiming His name. You see that in verse 19, the first part of verse 19. He said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee.

In looking here at what is said to be the Lord's goodness, His glory, I see four truths. four truths that Moses witnessed and heard. The first is God's absolute sovereignty. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy. Now this is a fundamental truth about the God of the Bible. but it's one that many people think is somehow in opposition to His goodness. But no, the very first thing God tells Moses, after He tells him, I'll make my goodness pass before thee, He declares His sovereign grace, I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy. And this truth, along with these other three things that are here, must be considered as an essential part of God's character. In other words, if a person denies the sovereignty of God, the sovereignty of God's grace, he's denying the truth about God's character. This is who he is. He's a God of grace, of all grace, yes. But He declares that He will be gracious to whom He will be gracious, and show mercy to whom He will show mercy.

If we deny His sovereignty, and I know those here today, you don't do that. You believe in God's sovereignty. But it's not just a higher form of doctrine. It's the truth about God. And it's the truth that men must hear. Now, the scripture says God is light. And one writer points out that light consists of many, many different rays, and some are brilliant, and others are of darker hue than those that are bright and vivid. But it is all this in union and the righted mixture that light consists. And this is part of the goodness of God that's mentioned, and it's mentioned first. It's mentioned first because here's the fact, here's the truth. Until a person comes, is confronted with the sovereignty of God's grace, and bows to it, not just confronted with it, but bows to it, that God has a right to do with his own what he will, and no man can say unto him, what doest thou? Who art thou, O man, who replies against God? Until a person bows to this truth, they will never, a person will never learn to love and appreciate the truth about God.

If you're one of God's children here this morning, you are so because God determined to make you one of his children. He did it on purpose. I like that old illustration I heard years ago about the preacher and he had a neighbor that was of a different persuasion. He was working in his garden one day and she came by and she said, well, Pastor, she says, one thing I just don't know about you Baptists, you believe in predestination and election. I just don't understand that. And he said, well, let me ask you this. You're saved, aren't you? She said, I believe I am. Did God save you on purpose or by accident? He saved you on purpose or by accident? She said, well, on purpose. You believe in God's election. You confess God's election. A person will never love and appreciate the salvation that God gives his people if he doesn't come or she doesn't come to realize God didn't have to save you. God doesn't need you. He doesn't need me. You know, I've said this before, but if I had a megaphone, one of these loudspeakers, if you could just preach to all of Louisville, Arkansas, I usually say that about Houston. That's the one thing I'd love to be able to say is, God doesn't need you. You need God, that's for sure. But he doesn't need you.

The second thing that that we see as part of God's goodness here, not only His sovereign grace, but His majesty. The Lord passed by, He proclaimed His name, the Lord, the Lord God. Now this name Jehovah, which is here translated Lord, declares Him to be eternal. It declares Him to be self-existent. He alone is the one who gave existence to all things that are. Matter is not eternal. Only God is eternal. And God, He's self-existent. He gives life to all. All kind of life. He gives life. There is no life outside of God. All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made.

You know, when Paul, the first message he preached there on Mars Hill, recorded in Acts chapter 17, I think you referred to it last night, Darwin, about the resurrection. They thought when he talked about the resurrection, he was talking about another God named Resurrection. They had so many gods, but what an opportunity it gave Paul to begin his message with. I want to talk to you about that one that you've got down there marked as the unknown god. Because they sure didn't know him. They didn't know him. And yet Paul said, in him we live, we move, we have our being. That's true of all people, all peoples. All of us here tonight, this morning, We couldn't raise our little finger without his power.

Man loves to think he's so self-sufficient and so powerful and doesn't need any one self-made man like David mentioned last night. No. No. We're all like Reuben. We're weak as water. And ourselves, no. His name, the Lord, the Lord God. His dominion is universal. His power is irresistible. That's the first thing that we see about His glory here.

The second thing, rather, the first thing is He will have be gracious to whom he will be gracious. The second thing is his majesty, but the third thing is his mercy. Merciful and gracious, long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.

You know, in this truth, he lumps or heaps all these things up together. I wonder why that is. Do you suppose it may be because the scriptures tell us that God delights in mercy? He delights in mercy. His long-suffering is the result of his mercy. You think about how long-suffering he was in the days of Noah. 120 years, Noah was building the ark, and during that time, the scripture says he was a preacher of righteousness. That's what I am. That's what your pastor is. They're preachers of righteousness. Not our righteousness, no. We want to speak only of his righteousness. That's what Noah preached. He was a preacher of righteousness. And the patience of God was his mercy in long-suffering waiting during the days, 120 years, we're told, while the ark was preparing.

And you read through the first five books of the Bible, read about, well, the whole Old Testament, really, the patience and the mercy, the long suffering that God had with the nation of Israel. But you know, you don't have to read there. You don't have to look there. When you go home today, just look in the mirror. Just look in the mirror, and you'll see, and you'll be reminded of how patient, how long-suffering God is. How merciful. How many times, how many times have you been in a jam? You've been in a pickle, a predicament. And you cried out to God, oh, if you'll just get me out of this. Just take care of this. I'll never, I'll never, I'll never be engaged in anything like this again. And sure enough, God in his mercy delivered you. And sure enough, you lied. and you've got yourself in another problem, and you cry unto the Lord.

Oh, that men would praise the Lord for His goodness unto the children of men. His goodness. What is meant here by Him keeping mercy for thousands? I've read it explained like this, that many times God allows a wicked individual to live and even blaspheme God's name, shake his feet. Oh, if there be a God, let him strike me dead. Let him strike me with lightning. Nothing happens. God's patient with that man, keeping mercy for thousands, and that man's posterity and his descendants are some of God's elect. And God's keeping mercy for them. I've heard it explained like that. And then forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin. This completes the list here of the Lord's mercies.

Is there any sin, do you think, There's any sin that's ever been committed that God hasn't forgiven someone of that sin except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

You know, you read during the Kings and Book of Kings, 2nd Kings and 2nd Chronicles, and you read one king after another one, this one did good in the sight of the Lord, this one did evil in the sight of the Lord. Come up to a man by the name of Hezekiah, and all things considered, he was one of those who did right in the eyes of the Lord.

But he had a son, and grace doesn't flow through the bloodline, does it? Not of the will of man, not of the flesh, not of blood, but of God that showeth mercy. And he had a son by the name of Manasseh. became only son of the head, became the king.

And you know the scripture, we won't turn and look, but the scripture actually said that this man did worse, worse than all the heathen that had lived in the land of Canaan, all those Ikes that God told Israel to drive out of the land to exterminate when he gave them the land of Canaan. This man Manasseh, he did worse than they all. That's what the Word of God declares. He practiced and encouraged his people to practice idolatry, witchcraft, astrology, every evil that you could imagine.

And you know what happened to him in prison. God put him in prison, didn't he? And in prison he sought the Lord. Well, why would the Lord show mercy to him? He'd done worse. He'd done worse than all the people who'd lived there before the Israelites, people who had no idea of God, no understanding whatsoever that there's only one true God.

He did worse than they all. And yet when he sought mercy, he found mercy. He found mercy. He found that God is merciful and gracious.

There's a scripture, our Lord said this. He said, how much more? If you being evil know how to give good gifts unto your children, and we think we do, sometimes we don't, but we'd never give our children a serpent if they asked for an egg. I don't think any of us would do that, would we? Well, if us being evil know how to give good gifts unto our children, how much more, the Lord Jesus said, how much more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him? Wonder why men don't ask? They need mercy. Why they don't ask God for mercy? Ask God to give them the Holy Spirit, that is, the gift, the fruit of the Spirit, which is faith and repentance and love and these things.

People want to blame God. I'm sure you've heard people make this statement, well, I'll tell you what I'm going to tell God. Well, I'm going to tell you what you're going to tell God. That's nothing. If you think like that. That's what you're going to tell God. You're not going to tell Him anything. He's going to tell you something. If you continue in your rebellion and sin, He's going to tell you, depart from me, you curse, for I never knew you. But for all who will take their place, someone said, I don't know if Christ died for me. He died for sinners. He died for sinners. That's what the Bible tells us. Can you take your place and confess, that's what I am, that's all I am? Well, I've got some good news for you. He died to save sinners. But if you hold on to your righteousness, which are nothing but filthy rags, you're not going to find mercy.

And the fourth thing that God declared is His justice. His grace, His majesty, His mercy, and His justice that will by no means clear the guilty. You say, well, Preacher, haven't you been telling us already we're all guilty? Absolutely. God will by no means clear the guilty. What does that mean? It means that God who is, yes, rich in mercy, but He will never, ever show His mercy at the expense of His justice. Someone has to satisfy God's justice. And that's where the gospel comes in, isn't it? Substitution. I heard this years ago, and I know it's true, and I love it. When you hear the gospel, you're sure to hear two things. This is how you can tell if you're hearing the gospel. You're going to hear substitution, and you're going to hear satisfaction. Those two things. You're going to hear that this man called Jesus, who is God manifest in the flesh, that he substituted himself in the place of the guilty. And yes, he satisfied God's justice. God's justice can ask for no more. No more. He completely, perfectly satisfied God's justice. He will by no means clear the guilt. And we're all guilty by nature, but in Christ, we're accepted. Why? Because he took our sins and bore them in his own body on the tree.

Well, here's my last question. What is meant by God putting Moses in the cleft of the rock? The rock, you know this, the rock represents the Lord Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul tells us that. The rock is Christ. God put Moses in the cleft of the rock. Why did God put him in the cleft of the rock? Because he couldn't put himself in the cleft of the rock. God put him in the cleft of the rock. No man puts himself into Christ. God chose his people in Christ. chose them before the foundation of the world. And God causes His people to see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Let's turn to that and I'll close. Look with me at 2 Corinthians 4. 2 Corinthians 4. Therefore, seeing we have this ministry, what ministry is he talking about? He's talking about this new covenant, this New Testament ministry. Therefore, seeing we have this ministry, he's not talking about that old covenant, the law. That was not his ministry. God, the Lord Jesus Christ sent his people out to preach the gospel, not to preach the law. As we have received mercy, we faint not, 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 and every man's conscience in the sight of God. But if our gospel be hid, It is hid to them that are lost. And it is hid to all of us when we come into this world. We can't see it. We can't see it. We can read it. We can hear it. But we can't see it. We can't understand it. By nature. Why? We're dead. We're spiritually dead.

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. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.

For God, in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. God said, Light be in the beginning, for God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness has shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of the person of Jesus Christ.

That's where we see the glory of God, isn't it? In the face of Jesus Christ. We see how these attributes that seemingly are contradictory that fight against each other, mercy and justice, but we see how they're harmonized in the person of Jesus Christ.

At the cross, at the cross that David sang about just a few minutes ago, beautiful, beautiful hymn. If you want to see God's love, where are you going to see it? At the cross. If you want to see His justice, where are you going to see it? At the cross. Want to see His Majesty? Where are you going to see Him? At the cross. At the cross. Where I first saw the light, at the cross.

Amen. God bless you.