in your prayers. Remember their
family in your prayers. Also, Sharon said Didi, Didi
and Michael Bradley. Didi, I think she might have
a brain tumor that's returned. Is that right? And Michael has
a whole bunch of blood clots all over his body. So remember
these folks in your prayers. I've got a thank you note from
my sister Ann. It reads, thank you for the beautiful piece Lily
Platt sent upon our mother's passing. Your thoughtfulness
meant so much to our family. Sequoia holds a very dear place
in our hearts, as it did in Mom's and says, dear brethren at Sequoia,
to thank you for your kindness and sympathy at a time when it's
deeply appreciated. Grace and peace to the James
family. That's from them, so. And I guess that's about all
the announcements, so let's get a hymn book and turn to hymn
number 291. 291. Guide me, O thou great Jehovah. Guide me, O thou great Jehovah,
pilgrim through this barren land. I am weak. but Thou art mighty. Hold me with Thy powerful hand. Bread of heaven, bread of heaven,
feed me till I want no more. Feed me till I want no more. But now the crystal fountain,
which a healing stream doth flow, let the fire and cloudy pillar Strong believer, strong believer,
be thou still my strength and shield. When I tread the verge of Jordan,
bid my anxious fears subside. Bear me through. The swelling current led me safe
on Canaan's side. Songs of praises, songs of praises,
I will ever give to thee. I will ever give to thee. Hymn number 227, the cleansing
wave. Oh, now I see the cleansing wave,
the fountain deep and wide. Jesus, my Lord, my teacher's
name points cleansing stream. I see, I see,
I plunge in. Oh, it cleanseth me. Oh, praise the Lord. It cleanseth
me. It cleanseth me. Yes, cleanseth
me. I rise to walk in world and sin with heart made
pure and garments white and Christ enthroned The cleansing stream, I see,
I see. I plunge it, oh, it cleanseth
me. Oh, praise the Lord, it cleanseth
me. It cleanseth me. Yes, cleanseth
me. Amazing grace. To feel the blood
applied. And Jesus only, Jesus no, my
Jesus crucified. The cleansing stream, I see,
I see. I plunge and oh, it cleanseth
me. Oh, praise the Lord, it cleanseth
me. It cleanseth me. Yes, cleanseth
me. If you have your Bibles, turn
with me to Exodus chapter 2. read the last three verses of
this chapter. The title of my message tonight is
By Reason of the Bondage. Verse 23 says that it came to
pass in the process of time that the king of Egypt died and the
children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage and they
cried and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.
And God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant
with Abraham and Isaac and with Jacob. And God looked upon the
children of Israel, and God had respect unto them. Let us pray.
Our Father, we come in the blessed name of Jesus Christ, our King
and our Master, our blessed Savior, One who died in the room instead
of his people, secured their salvation, redeemed them by his
blood unto God, was made to be their righteousness,
wisdom, sanctification, and redemption, and caused them to be accepted
in the beloved. We are thankful that we can say
it was all by grace, all for the purpose and the glory of
the grace of God that this took place. We are thankful that we
are made to realize that we have no merit within ourselves, but
our merit is Jesus Christ alone. Father, we pray for those who've
lost loved ones. Pray for those families of those
who've lost loved ones. And pray, Father, for those who
are sick and going through trouble, remember, especially these who've
been mentioned in the prayer list. Ask Lord your help for
them. For our own congregation, we
pray you cause Loretta to feel better and help Cora with this
situation. Pray for these Bradley folk with
the things they're facing. We ask Lord your help for them.
For our shut-ins, we ask your strength and comfort for them.
For ourselves tonight, as we gather here, as we look at your
word, I pray your word will be a lamp unto our feet and a light
unto our path, the entrance of which will give us understanding,
though we be simple. Help us, Lord. We pray in Christ's
name. Amen. Now this passage begins with
a mention of the passage of time. It begins, and it came to pass
in the process of time. And the first phrase is a combination
of words in the original that suggests a prolonged walk, which
is probably the reason that the time is called a process, the
process of time. And the use of this word suggests
that there is a course that was followed, that was designed to
bring the journey to an appointed place or an appointed end. That's
what we think of when we think of a process. We think of a thing
beginning and a thing having a particular end. This in turn
suggests that it's not a haphazard trek, but a thing that is progressing
toward a specific goal or an aim. And we know from the promise
of God that the successive occurrence of events, that the events expressed
in this passage are born of the intent and purpose of Almighty
God. This has all happened according
to plan. We are privileged, actually, very, very privileged. that we
have the book. We have the story. We know how
the story ends. And we all ought to rejoice and
thank God that we know that the final chapter of this book, the
final chapters, declare that our Lord God omnipotent reigneth
and does all things according to the power of His own will. We know how this story ends. We know that the purpose of God
is what this is being talked about. Moses has been an Midian
for about 20 to 30 years at the time of this writing. The king
of Egypt has died. Now if you read commentaries
they have three or four different kings or pharaohs in Egypt that
they mention but in all probability it was the king that Moses fled
from that's the one that died at this time. The extent of the
cruel slavery and bondage of Israel has increased And a new
pharaoh, and with a new pharaoh, there's no indications that conditions
have improved. In fact, the further we go into
this book, we'll find that he actually makes things worse.
He takes away the straw that they used to make the mud bricks
and make the bricks without straw, which made it harder for them
to dry, and therefore a more difficult process. The process
of time is approaching four centuries now since the promise was made.
and to some degree teaches that the perfect work of patience
has been a long haul, and it is and can be in every child
of God. It also teaches the obstinate
nature of the elect to call on God even in enduring tribulation. It seems that the natural bent
of every creature, even though he is saved by God's grace, is
to try to fix his problems himself and try and try and fail and
falter until he finally, at the long end of the process of time,
when patience has her perfect work, he calls on God. And patience will have her perfect
work in the process of time, God's process, and at the point
in time the trial will reach its ordained apex and the vocal
cords will be incited and a cry will reach the borders of heaven.
That's what's happened here. Time, tide, and circumstance
have served God's purpose and fulfilled his promise that he
made to Abraham centuries before. There's no indication that the
people of God remembered the promise that was made generation
upon generation in his past. In fact, we have an inkling of
that when the king died uh... when the king died who didn't
remember joseph the next phrase says there that generations and
all that generation died with him so we know that when generations
died people forget and there's no indication that they remembered
the promise that god made to abraham four hundred years prior
to this or that god was in their thinking at all or abraham also
They had adopted the Egyptian idols, that's what it says in
Ezekiel, if you turn over there in Ezekiel chapter 20. When Ezekiel is talking about the
deliverance of Israel from Egypt. The pages are sticking together. in Ezekiel chapter 20, verse
7 and 8, God says, Then said I unto them, Cast away every
man the abomination of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with
the idols of Egypt. I am the LORD your God. But they
rebelled against Me and would not hearken to Me, and did not
every man cast away his abominations of their as either did they forsake
the idols of Egypt. Then I said I will pour out my
fury upon them and accomplish my anger against them in the
midst of the hand of Egypt." Now if you read this whole chapter
it is talking about the deliverance of Israel from Egypt. So we know
that 400 years have passed and here the people are and they
are idolaters. They are worshipping the gods
of Egypt. They are not worshipping God. But if your trouble gets
bad enough Your idols ain't gonna do you no good. Your stumps are
not gonna answer your prayers. And this trouble has got bad
enough that it says they side. The pain of slavery was the source
of their side. There's an old saying, there
ain't no atheists in foxholes, and that applies here. There
ain't no atheists. Trouble gets bad enough, you
gonna call on God. You gonna call on God. It says
they side by reason of bondage. They sighed by reason of the
bondage. This is the obvious reason for
their sigh. They're in bondage. They're in
slavery. The word sigh means to groan with pain, to gasp as
if your next breath may not come. The word also is used to describe
the moo that a cow makes, which speaks to an inarticulate wail
of despair. That's what the sound is. Much
like murmuring is a sound that any beast can make, here the
groanings are such that it's just a groan, a groan or a cry. Did they mention God's name?
I don't know, but God heard it. And that's the language. It doesn't
say they spoke to God and got his attention. They cried out
in pain and God heard their pain. Perhaps this is what Paul spoke
of in Romans chapter 8 when he says about groanings that cannot
be uttered. The bondage was so intense that
they faltered under it, but the sigh uttered by reason of the
bondage is according to divine purpose and predestination. This
great, the great type and picture of salvation will be revealed
and salvation cannot occur. Salvation cannot occur where
bondage does not exist. Where bondage does not exist,
there's no need of salvation. So in order for salvation to
occur, for them to be delivered, guide me O thou great deliverer,
we just sang that. The only way you can be delivered
is if you're in bondage. And that promise was made to
Abraham. You remember back in chapter 15 of Genesis when the
Lord took him out and darkened everything and put him in a trance-like
and in a sort of a dream state and said, this nation is going
into bondage for 400 years. And they're going to be treated
horribly. They're going to be enslaved.
And then I'm going to deliver them. They're going to come out
of that place with great substance, with great stubbornness. That
was the promise 400 years ago. My goodness, this is a long trial. This is a long trial. They cried. This speaks of an
audible, even loud groaning. It was not just a sigh. It was
an audible groaning. Not stated in this text that
they cried out for God to save them, but it is stated in Numbers
20 as if they were crying to God. Numbers 20 verse 16 says,
And when we cried unto the Lord, he heard our voice, and sent
an angel, and hath brought us out of Egypt. Their cry came
up to God by reason of their bondage. Bondage was the reason
for their cry. And the reason for their bondage
and their cry was God. He was behind it all. One man
said it's a good sign that God is coming towards us with deliverance
when He inclines and enables us to cry to Him for deliverance. The wondrous circle of providence
is the source of it all. We don't fully understand it
but Paul said it this way, for of Him, that is of God, and through
God and to God are all things to whom be glory forever and
ever. Amen. This is how things work in the
life of the child of God. It was taught in type and picture
throughout the Old Testament and realized and seen and understood
by those who are saved under the Gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ in the New Testament. But the language has always been
the same. Turn over to Psalm 107. It's a fairly long psalm and
I'm going to read it all because I want you to see the way this
works, the systematic thing that God has set up, the manner in
which He deals with His people is seen in Psalm 107 and is repeated
here with these people in their slavery in Egypt. In Psalm 107
it says, Oh, give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good, for
his mercy endureth forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord
say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy, and
gathered them out of the lands from the east and from the west
and from the south and the north and the south. They wandered
in the wilderness in a solitary way. They found no city to dwell
in. Hungry and thirsty, their souls
fainted in them. They cried unto the Lord in their
trouble, and He delivered them out of their distresses. And
He led them forth by the right way, that they might go to the
city of habitation. Oh, that men would praise the
Lord for His goodness and His wonderful works for the children
of men! For He satisfies the longing of the soul, and filleth
the hungry soul with goodness, such as sit in darkness in the
shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron. Because
they rebelled against the words of God, and condemned For contemned
held in contempt the counsel of the Most High, therefore He
brought down their heart with labor. They fell down and there
was none to help. Then they cried unto the Lord
in their trouble, and He saved them out of their distresses. And He brought them out of darkness
and the shadow of death, and broke their bands asunder. Oh,
that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, for His wonderful
works to the children of men. For He hath broken the gates
of brass, and cut down the bars of iron and sundry. Fools, because
of their transgression and because of their iniquities, are afflicted.
Their soul abhors all manner of meat. They draw near unto
the gates of death. Then they cry unto the Lord in
their trouble, and He saveth them out of their distresses.
He sent His Word, and healed them, and delivered them from
their destructions. Oh, that men would praise the Lord for
His goodness, for His wonderful works to the children of men,
and let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, which we know
as praise, and declare His works with rejoicing. They that go
down into the sea and ships that do business in great waters,
they see the works of the Lord and his wonders in the deep.
For he commandeth and raiseth the stormy wind which lifteth
up the waves thereof. They mount up to the heaven.
They go down again into the depths. Their soul is melted because
of the trouble. They reel to and fro, staggered
like a drunken man, and are at their wits' end. They cry unto
the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their
distresses. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof
are still. Then they are glad, because they
be quiet, so that he bringeth them into their desired haven.
Oh, that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, for his
wonderful works to the children of men. Let them exalt him also
in the congregation of the people, and to praise him in the assembly
of the elders. He turneth rivers into wilderness, and the water
springs into dry ground. A fruitful land hath barren into
barrenness, and the wickedness of them that dwell therein. He
turneth the wilderness into standing water, and dry ground into the
water springs. There he maketh the hungry to
dwell, that they may prepare a city for habitation, to sow
the fields, and plant the vineyards, which may yield fruits to increase.
He blessed them also, so that they multiply greatly and suffer
not their cattle to decrease. Again they are minished and brought
low through oppression, affliction, and sorrow. He poureth contempt
upon princes and causes them to wander in the wilderness where
there is no way. Yet setteth he the poor on high
from affliction and maketh him the families of the earth. The
righteous shall see it and rejoice. All the iniquitous shall stop
their mouth. Who is wise and will observe these things? that
they shall understand the loving-kindness of the Lord." What is His loving-kindness?
He brings them low and lifts them up. He makes them hungry
and feeds them. He makes them thirsty and gives
them water. He breaks them and heals them. He puts them in bondage and delivers
them out of their distresses. Oh, that's His loving-kindness.
That's His loving-kindness. Back in our text in verses 24
and 25, it is stated that God did four things in reference
to their cry. First it said, He heard their
groaning. He heard their groaning. They are His people, His elect
nation, and those who picture and typify those who are appointed
to the election of grace. The redeemed children of God
rest in the knowledge that the Lord hears them. and that is
the impetus for them to continually call upon him. That is what David
said in Psalm 116, verse 2, Because he hath inclined his ear unto
me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live. This is
a wondrous thing, the God of all glory, the master of the
universe, the owner of all things, has inclined his ear to his people. and they might not even be calling
on him. They just might be groaning under
great suffering. He hears it. That's what it says. But you know, God knows that
the spirits make intercession for the empty. Scripture says
He heard their groaning. Secondly, it says He remembered
His covenant. Back in Genesis 15 and verse
18, He said to Abraham, I'll make a covenant with thee your
ancestors will inherit the land of Canaan. They're going to be
there. I'm going to deliver them out of Egypt. They're going to
be in bondage 400 years. I'm going to deliver them. But
I'm making a covenant with you that I will give them the land
of Canaan. This does not suggest that he
has forgotten the covenant when it says he remembered it to this
point. He hadn't forgotten the covenant. It is a declaration
that hearing them and ultimately delivering them has nothing to
do with their crying by reason of bondage or any merit on their
part. He remembers his covenant. Why
am I saying he remembers his covenant? Because I remember
the covenant? No, sometimes I forget it. Sometimes I forget God. So do you. So do you. He never forgets His people.
He remembers His covenant. He would deliver them because
of the covenant He had made with Abraham. They're going to be
delivered. He's made a covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
And when the Lord delivers His people from their trial, it's
because of the covenant He has made with His Son. He's made
a covenant, an eternal covenant with His Son for their good and
for His glory. Over in Psalm 89, David describes
it this way, and the Lord is speaking in Psalm 89. Psalm 89 verse 27 says this,
Also I will make my firstborn higher than the kings of the
earth. My mercy will I keep for him forevermore, and my covenant
shall stand fast with him. His seat also I will make to
endure forever, and his throne as the days of heaven. If his
children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments, if
they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments, then I will
visit their transgression." Not them. Their sin was laid on Christ
and that sin was visited by God in wrath against sin. I will visit their transgression
with a rod and their iniquity with stripes. Nevertheless, my
lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my
faithfulness to fail. My covenant will I not break,
nor alter the things that have gone out of my lips. This is a sure thing. He remembered
His covenant. Why is He going to deliver them?
Why did He hear them? He heard them because He remembered
His covenant. Scripture says, But now hath
He obtained a more excellent ministry, speaking of Christ
by how much also He is the mediator of a better covenant, which was
established upon better promises. Thirdly, it says he looked upon
them. He turned his eyes upon them.
He viewed their sorrow and anguish and had pity on them. He whose eyes are too pure to
be old evil, before whom the sun, moon, and
stars are not pure in his sight, looked upon a bunch of slaves
who were idolaters. he looked upon them David said when I look at the
handiwork of your hands I wonder what is man that they
are mindful of him for the son of man that he should be visited
by you fortunately God had respect unto them this in the original
means that he knew them God knew them. He heard them. He remembered
His covenant. He looked upon them and He knew
them. He knew them. If He knew them,
it is because He has always known them. He foreknew them. He knew
them favorably. He knew them in grace and mercy.
The nation of Israel is typical of true Israel, the Israel of
God, the elect unto salvation. And the Scripture is clear about
those whom He knew and thus foreknew. The Scripture is clear about
that. Now there were some who came to Him, to the Lord Jesus
Christ, and said, we know you. And we've been doing a whole
lot of stuff in your name. We've been casting out devils
in your name. We've been doing wonders in your
name. We've been doing great things in your name. Lord, Lord,
they called Him. He looked them in the eye. He
says, depart from me, ye that work iniquity. I never knew you."
But there are some of whom He has foreknown. Scripture says
this, For whom He did foreknow, He
also did predestinate, to be conformed to the image of His
Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover,
whom He did predestinate, them He also called, and whom He called,
them He also justified. in whom he justified them, he
also glorified. What shall we then say to these
things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He spared
not his own son, but delivered him up for us all. How shall
he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay
anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.
Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea,
rather is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God,
who also maketh the intercession for us. Who shall separate us
from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress,
or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long.
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these
things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For
I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities,
nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height,
nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us
from the love of God. which is in Christ Jesus, the
Lord. He knew them. This is what He
does for people He knows. He knew them. He heard them.
He remembered the covenant. He looked upon them and He knew
them. Pretty soon He's going to appear
to Moses in a burning bush. That will come next week. Father,
bless us to our understanding. We pray in Christ's name. Amen.