The Bible Baptist Church located
at 2015 Beulah Road in Madisonville, Kentucky would like to invite
you to listen to a message of the sovereign grace of God in
the Lord Jesus Christ by their pastor David Edmondson. In the book of Exodus chapter
13, we find Israel finally delivered from the bondage of the Egyptians. God had sent 10 horrific plagues
upon Pharaoh and the nation of Egypt, and each time Pharaoh
hardened his heart and would not let God's people go. But
after the death of the firstborn, the 10th and final judgment of
God against Pharaoh in Egypt, Pharaoh was glad to see them
go. Now I want to pick up that story
this morning in Exodus chapter 13, beginning in verse 20. It
says, and they took their journey from Succoth and encamped in
Etham. in the edge of the wilderness.
And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud
to lead them the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to
give them light to go by day and night. And he took not away
the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night,
from before the people. In these verses, we are introduced
to the pillar of a cloud and the pillar of fire. And it's
important to know that Israel did not just aimlessly wonder
in the wilderness. It was God that led them. And
God led them by day in a pillar of a cloud, and God led them
by night with a pillar of fire. And when the pillar of the cloud
and the pillar of the fire would move, Israel would follow. It's
important to know that the pillar of the cloud and the pillar of
fire did not follow Israel. They followed it. Look at verse
21 closely. It says, and the Lord went before
them in a pillar of a cloud to lead them, and by night in a
pillar of fire to give them light. It was the Lord that went before
them in both the pillar of a cloud and the pillar of fire. Now I
want to read you some verses in Exodus chapter 40 that I think
will very much help us to understand what this pillar of a cloud and
this pillar of fire represent and picture in the scriptures.
In Exodus chapter 40, beginning in verse 34, we read, then a
cloud covered the tent of the congregation. and the glory of
the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter
in to the tent of the congregation because the cloud abode thereon,
and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. And when the cloud
was taken up from the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward
in all their journeys. But if the cloud were not taken
up, then they journey not to the day that it was taken up.
You see, they did not go ahead of the cloud. They didn't leave
the cloud around. The pillar of the cloud and the
pillar of fire led them. For the cloud of the Lord was
upon the tabernacle by day and fire was on it by night in the
sight of all of the house of Israel throughout all their journeys. From the time they left Egypt
to the time that they went into the land of promise, the pillar
of a cloud and the pillar of fire led them. What a picture
this is of the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit of God that leads
and guides us. Paul wrote in Romans 8, verse
14, as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons
of God. Christ speaking of the Holy Spirit
in John chapter 16, verse 13 said, he will guide you into
all truth. Now, hear me on this. Every word. that God speaks to you through
the preaching, true preaching and reading of his word. Every
revelation, every ounce of true spiritual knowledge, understanding
and wisdom comes through the Holy Spirit. This is God's ordained
means. Now you and I know that there's
one God. Here, O Israel, the Lord our
God is one Lord, just one God, not three gods, but one God and
three persons. Not three individual gods working
separately, but one salvation by one God, Father, Son, and
Spirit working together as one God. John said, for there are
three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the
Holy Ghost, and these three are one, just one God and just one
salvation. Now in the book of Exodus, God
the Father shows himself as God when he, in covenant mercy, brought
Israel out of Egypt with a strong hand. God had chosen before the
foundation of the world to make Israel his chosen nation and
people, and he foretold of their captivity and their release,
their freedom, their liberty to Abraham some 400 years before,
but God had ordained it long before that, before the world
was ever made. God chose Israel to be his nation
and his people. And in this book of Exodus, God
the Son shows himself as God, as God the Savior, the Redeemer.
And he does so as the Paschal or the Passover lamb whose blood
was shed and applied to the door and lentils of the people of
Israel and God in mercy and grace passed over all those to whom
the blood was applied. What a beautiful picture that
is of Christ and his people today. Those who are covered with the
blood of Christ shall never see the wrath and the judgment of
God. And then here in our text, God
the Holy Spirit reveals himself to be the pillar of a cloud and
a fire who leads his people in their homeward journey to the
land of promise. God the Father elects, he chooses,
he calls and delivers. God the Son redeems by the shedding
of his blood and the perfect work of righteousness which he
accomplished. And God, the spirit regenerates,
quickens, makes alive, and leads his people throughout this life.
This is all the same salvation by one God. Now, each part mentioned
is absolutely essential and vitally important to the salvation of
a sinner. Let me read you a few verses out of the book of Titus
chapter 3. Titus chapter 3 verse 3 says,
for we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived,
serving divers lust and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful
and hating one another. But after that, the kindness
and love of God, our savior toward man appeared, not by works of
righteousness, which we've done, but according to his mercy, he
saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost,
which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
that being justified by his grace, we should be heirs according
to the hope of eternal life. Now, how is a sinner saved? I
want you to pay close attention to this. First, by the kindness
and love of God, who chose us and called us and conformed us
to Christ. It wasn't by our love and kindness
toward God, but his love and kindness and mercy toward us. We love him because he first
loved us. It certainly was not because
or by works of righteousness which we've done. It was according
to his mercy, God's mercy. It was according to his mercy
he saved us. How are we saved? Well, first
we see in these verses here in Titus 3, by the love, kindness,
and mercy of God the Father. How are sinners saved? Well,
verse four tells us, by God our Savior. That's speaking of Jesus
Christ, who is the kindness, love, and mercy that appeared
toward man, Paul writes. Christ came into the world to
save sinners, and every fallen man and woman that has been chosen
by God will be saved by that love, kindness, and mercy toward
them that's in Christ, in Christ alone. That's what verse six
tells us, that God shed upon us abundantly through Jesus Christ,
our Savior. How are sinners saved? Verse
five. by the washing of regeneration
and renewing of the Holy Ghost. And how beautifully we see that
God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit all have a
vital part in the salvation of God's elect. There's no salvation
apart from the election of God. There's no salvation apart from
the shed blood and perfect work of righteousness of the Lord
Jesus Christ. And there is no salvation apart
from the regeneration of the Holy Spirit. Oh, there's much
for us to learn here about the Holy Spirit of God. Many times
in the scripture, And very, very plainly in Psalm 99 verse seven,
we read concerning Israel and this pillar of a cloud and pillar
of fire that God spoke to them, his people, the people of Israel
in the cloudy pillar. And isn't that what the Holy
Spirit does? What a picture this is. The Holy
Spirit takes the things of Christ and he shows and he reveals them
to us. The Lord Jesus said in John chapter
14 verse 26, but the comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, who
the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things
and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I've said
unto you. In chapter 15 of John, verse
26, he says, but when the Comforter has come, whom I will send unto
you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth
from the Father, he shall testify of me. That's why in our preaching,
a man who preaches the truth, a man who's led by the Spirit
of God is gonna testify of Christ. That's what he's gonna speak
of. He's not gonna try to tell you how to live and what to do
and what not to do. He's gonna encourage you to lean
on Christ, trust in Him for all the righteousness, all the perfection
that God requires from every sinner. And then in chapter 16,
verse seven, the Lord Jesus said, nevertheless, I tell you the
truth, it's expedient for you that I go away, for if I go not
away, the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, will not come unto you,
but if I depart, I'll send him unto you. Now, why was it expedient
that Christ go away? That word expedient is defined
as a means of attaining an end. It's expedient. It's the means to the glorious
end for the believer to know that Christ died, rose again,
and now sits on the throne as God so that he could send the
Holy Spirit to reveal to us and teach us why he did all the things
he did for his people. It's the only way that they could
be saved. The Holy Spirit teaches us how,
key word, how that Christ died for our sins according to the
scripture. Not if he did, but how he did. The Holy Spirit reveals to us
that Christ was buried, and that he rose again the third day according
to the scriptures. And in this we know that Christ
was accepted, and that we, those who trust in him, are accepted
in him, the beloved of God. We are accepted in the beloved.
So that we might know that where he, Christ, is, we may be also. And I'm telling you, if you know
that, and you know why, It was the Holy Spirit that revealed
it to you. Let me show you that if I can. Exodus chapter 33 verse
8, and it came to pass when Moses went out into the tabernacle
that all the people rose up and stood every man in his tent door
and looked after Moses until he was gone into the tabernacle.
And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle,
the cloudy pillar descended and stood at the door of the tabernacle,
and the Lord talked with Moses. And all the people saw the cloudy
pillar stand at the tabernacle door, and all the people rose
up and worshiped every man in his tent door. And the Lord spake
unto Moses face to face, out of that cloud. as a man speaketh
unto his friend. God spoke through the cloudy
pillar, and it's through the Spirit of God, dear sinner, that
he speaks to you. In Exodus chapter 34, verse five,
it says, And the Lord descended in the cloud, and stood with
him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. Now this is
how the Lord speaks to and teaches us, not just through a preacher. If you only hear the words of
a preacher, then you're not going to hear anything that will effectually
save you. But God teaches us and speaks
through his spirit as the word is preached. Isn't that what
Paul was saying? He said, who then is Paul? And
who is Apollos? But ministers by whom he believed,
even as the Lord gave to every man. You know, when I see a preacher
or pastor that's so full of themselves and think that folks, Should
bow down to them that tells me right away that they're not a
true servant of God a true servant a true preacher of God is humble
and and He'll tell you right up front. Don't put any trust
in me. I'm just a man just a man just
a voice crying in the wilderness Preachers plant and preachers
water But it's God that gives the increase. I Continuing in
verse six of Exodus 34, and the Lord passed before him in the
pillar of the cloud or the spirit, and proclaimed, the Lord, the
Lord God merciful and gracious and 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 and upon the children's children, even to the third and
the fourth generations. And we're told that Moses made
haste and bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped. You
see, friends, it's through the Spirit of God. that we hear and
that we preach. And it's how we learn of God's
mercy and God's grace and God's longsuffering. How we learn of
his goodness and truth. This is how we know that God
forgives iniquity and keeps mercy for thousands. The Holy Spirit
shows us from the scriptures and teaches us and makes it effectual
to our hearts by giving us a new heart. by making us a new creature
in Christ Jesus. This is how we know that God
is so holy that he will by no means clear the guilty, but that
he's gonna visit, he will visit the iniquity of sinners and punish
sin. We know it's gonna happen. The
Holy Spirit teaches us. It's through the teaching of
God's Spirit to us. Paul said in 1 Thessalonians
chapter one, verse four, knowing brethren, beloved, your election
of God, he said, but our gospel came not unto you in word only,
but also in power and in the Holy Ghost and in much assurance. That's how it came to us. What
did our Lord say about the Holy Spirit? He said, he shall testify
of me. He said, he'll teach you all
things. He'll bring all things to your remembrance. Did you
notice that the cloud was always directly over the tabernacle
and most accurately over the mercy seat? In Leviticus chapter
16 verse two, God says, for I will appear in the cloud upon the
mercy seat. It seems as though every time
that they stopped, that the cloud or the fire would rest over the
makeshift tabernacle that Israel had. This picture represents
the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, you cannot
separate God the Holy Spirit from the work of Christ. Now, whether it was the pillar
of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night, It seems that
it was always directly over the tabernacle, and especially over
the mercy seat, which represents Christ, our propitiation. You
see, the mercy seat is where the blood was shed. It's where the sacrifice was
offered, and the blood of that sacrifice was shed, and the mercy
seat contained the broken law, which demands perfection from
us. This showed that the blood of
Christ fulfilled and justified the law of God. It was the shed
blood of Christ, sacrificed in our room instead, that fulfills
the law's demands and satisfies God's holy justice for us. God is appeased only by the blood
of Christ, and the Holy Spirit is always, always identified
with Christ, the sacrifice and the substitute of God's people.
And if you're ever to see salvation, it will be found in Christ and
revealed by the Spirit of God upon the mercy seat. Now, back
in my text, verse 21 of Exodus 13, we read, and the Lord went
before them by day in a pillar of a cloud to lead them, to lead
them the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them
light to go by day and night. And here we see that God, the
Holy Spirit, is our light. Not only our guide, but our light.
Well, isn't Christ the light of the world? Absolutely. But
who shows you that? Who teaches you that? God, the
Spirit. Who gives you the grace to see
and believe it? Who gives you the life to understand
these things? Now we see who Christ the light
is by the Holy Spirit, and we also see who and what we are,
and it's the Holy Spirit that shows us those things. Now this
book, the Bible, that I'm reading from this morning is a closed
book without the light of the Holy Spirit. This book is impossible
to understand apart from the light and revelation of the Holy
Spirit. The gospel does not come by education. Understanding the gospel comes
by revelation. but when it pleased God, who
separated me from my mother's womb and called me by His grace
to reveal, reveal His Son in me. Galatians 1, 15 and 16. First Corinthians chapter two,
I want to read you these verses, verse seven. But we speak the
wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom which God ordained
before the world unto our glory. which none of the princes of
this world knew, for had they known it, they would not have
crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written, I have
not seen nor ear heard, and neither have entered into the heart of
the man the things which God hath prepared for them that love
him. but God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit. There it is. For the Spirit searcheth
all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth
the things of a man, save the Spirit of man which is in him?
Even so the things of God knoweth no man but the Spirit of God. We have received not the Spirit
of the world, but the Spirit which is of God. that we might
know the things that are freely given to us of God, which things
also we speak not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth,
but which the Holy Ghost teacheth, comparing spiritual things with
spiritual. But the natural man receiveth
not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness
unto him. Neither can he know them, because
they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual, he
that is taught by the Spirit, Judgeth all things, yet himself,
he himself is judged of no man. For who had known the mind of
the Lord that he may instruct him? And then he says this, but
we have the mind of Christ. How did we get that? God, through
the Holy Spirit, gave it to us. God the Father chose us and called
us and conformed us. God the Son redeemed us by the
shedding of his perfect and precious blood. And God the Holy Spirit
regenerates us and gives us life, teaches us, shows us Christ,
reveals Christ to us and in us. Salvation is of the Lord. Now I've got to mention this
before I finish. What was the pillar or the spirit
of God, the pillar of a cloud and the pillar of fire to the
people of God? Well, we know this, it was their
guide and it was their light, but what was it to others? That's
a sobering question. What is the spirit of God to
you? Well, it's the same thing today as it was to them. Back
in Exodus chapter 14, verse 19, we read in the angel of God,
which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind
them. And the pillar of the cloud went
from before their face and stood behind them. Now, what's going
on here is God had hardened Pharaoh's heart again and he sends his
army. out to destroy Israel, whom he had just let go. And
here they are. They're caught between the army
of Egypt and the Red Sea. You know the story well. We've
all seen the Ten Commandments. We all know about the parting
of the Red Sea. But here we see that the pillar
of the cloud who was in front of them, all of a sudden moves
to behind them. And verse 20 says, and it, the
pillar of the cloud, came between the camp of the Egyptians and
the camp of Israel, and it was a cloud and darkness to them. But it gave light by night to
these, God's people, so that one came not near the other all
night. You see, friends, God the Holy Spirit not only reveals,
but he also conceals. The pillar was darkness to the
Egyptians. And it's the same today. To some,
it's light, and to others, it's darkness. What was the difference
between Israel and the Egyptians? Well, the pillar was. The Holy
Spirit is still that difference. Who is it that makes the believer
to differ from another? Well, it's God. God the Father,
God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. It's God who makes the
difference. Paul went on to ask, well, what
do we have that we didn't receive? And if we received it, why do
we glory as if we did something to receive it? That's a very
good question. Salvations of the Lord from beginning
to end. The Lord said of the Holy Spirit,
even the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because
it cannot seem neither knoweth him, but you know him because
he dwelleth with you and shall be in you. The Holy Spirit of
God makes a difference. The Egyptians didn't know what
the pillar was. They thought, what is this? But
it was darkness to them. And it was the thing that kept
them away from the people of God. This world doesn't know
God, but God's people do. Look at verse 22 here in Exodus
13. He, God, took not away the pillar
of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night from
before the people. What a verse of mercy and grace
that is. is all through Israel's wilderness
journey. This pillar of a cloud and fire
was never taken away from. Despite all their failures, despite
all their murmurings, despite all their unbelief, despite all
their rebellion, God never withdrew the cloudy pillar. God will never
take his spirit away from those for whom Christ died. Our salvation is not conditional
on us and what we do. Our salvation is certain and
sure because of what Christ has done for us. So my encouragement
to you this morning is this, rejoice and rest in his redemption. God has provided for his people
everything that God requires from them. Christ is all in all. You have been listening to a
message by David Edmondson, the pastor of Bible Baptist Church
in Madisonville, Kentucky. If you would like a copy of this
message, or to hear other messages of God's free, sovereign grace
in Christ, you can write to our mailing address at P.O. Box 652
Madisonville, Kentucky 42431. or log on to our website at FreeGraceRadio.com. If you would like to come and
worship with us, we meet at 2015 Beulah Road, Madisonville, Kentucky. And our service times are Sunday
morning Bible study at 10 o'clock AM. Worship services begin at
11 o'clock AM. Wednesday evening services at
7 o'clock PM. Please tune in again next Sunday
morning at 10 o'clock AM for another message of God's free
and sovereign grace in the Lord Jesus Christ.