It's so good to be here tonight.
I'm glad it's us. I really am. So good to be here. And I hope that the Lord is with
Gabe and meeting with the folks down there in Crossville. And this morning, Brother Roland,
he just blessed my heart. It's so good to have him. So
we're so greatly blessed. If you will, turn back to the
book of Exodus chapter 33. And we're going to turn into
a very, very familiar passage of scripture here. And the reason how I ended up
here, let me give you a little background here on how I got
here, is for the last several months, I've been wanting to
bring a message on mercy. And I love mercy. And the believers,
don't we love mercy? And I look into the scriptures
and I read, the Lord just don't speak of mercy, but it speaks
of his mercy being tender mercy, tender mercy. And we read of
his covenant mercy and his sovereign mercy, sovereign mercy. And one
that I just, it just sets, every time I hear it, I just, oh, I'm
so thankful that his mercy is new every morning. And that would be such a, and
so as I was looking at it, I was wanting to bring a message on
mercy. When I was looking into sovereign
mercy, And this is a passage of scripture that we often turn
to when we tell our friends and our family, we want them to know
the gospel. And we want them to know that
God's mercy is sovereign mercy. And so that's why I started here. And of course, anytime that you
go to a passage of scripture, you want to not just read that
passage, but go back before that passage so that you can see the
context of it and understand what you're, you know, you want
to speak plainly from the scripture and you want to speak truthfully
from it. And we know that there's a lot
of error that occurs when a man takes something out of its context.
So when I come to these passages of scripture and it says, I will
be gracious to whom I'll be gracious and I'll show mercy on whom I'll
show mercy. I wanted to go back and look
at that and see the context of it. And just so you'll know,
I've ended up in a different place a little bit. So I'm giving
you some context, but I'm telling you that because also I want
you to see what caused me to stop and what caused me to dig
deeper and deeper into this to try to understand And I found
I would go back and we will here just a second, but I went back
to verse 12 and I read it. And then I kept going back and
back and back. I ended up all the way back in
Exodus chapter 19. And to be honest with you, I
got way too many notes to go back to 19. And so I believe
that the Lord would have me just go back and go through it and
summarize that. But we've got to go back to understand
where we're at. But anyway, let's look again
at verse 12. I want us to start there. There's
a few passages here, a few things that are said that I want you
to see if they stick out to you like they had me. Okay. Verse
12, it says, And Moses said unto the Lord, See thou sayest unto
me, bring up this people. And now thou hast not let me
know whom thou will send with me. And then look at verse 13. Now, therefore, I pray thee,
if I have found grace in thy sight, show me now thy way, that
I may know thee, that I might find grace in thy sight. And
then verse 16, he says, For wherein or how shall it be
known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight?"
Can you see the distraught in these questions that Moses is
asking here? So why is Moses asking these
questions? Now we know where these questions
lead to, but why is Moses so distraught in his questions. You can tell by his words that
he's under duress. You know what he says? He says,
show me the way. Well, a man who asks for the
way don't know the way. And when you're lost, now this
makes it even more difficult, but when you're lost, you don't
know the way. Is Moses lost? So you see the
questions that come from this passage as I look at it and I
studied and I pondered on it. He said, he also says, who shall
you send with me? Now we know the answer to that,
don't we? Christ. And if you go back another chapter,
you'll see that an angel of the Lord says, I'll send you an angel.
And an angel is a messenger. An angel is a messenger of the
Lord. And we know that that messenger is Christ. But Moses says, who
you're going to send with me, and how am I going to know the
way? How am I going to know the way? And then how am I going
to find grace in your sight? So do you see the questions that
Moses is asking? And let me, it helps to understand
this, and really I didn't come to think about it until just
real recently in this study. But remember that when Moses
speaks to the people for God, he speaks according to the law. When Moses is speaking to the
people, he's speaking for God. But when, let me, Moses is speaking
for the people, he's speaking for God. But when Moses is speaking
to God, He's speaking for the people. Does that make sense?
When Moses is speaking to God, he's speaking on behalf of the
people. That's a mediator. So when we read these verses
here, and we read these things that he's saying here, he's saying
them as a mediator. Show me the way. Show me the
way. Who are you going to send with
me? So, but not only are the people speaking, but also Moses
is speaking it. Okay. Now, Now, as Moses speaks, as Moses speaks, it is the law. We know in the scripture that
the law is often referred to as Moses. And in other words,
if you remember, I think it was in Luke 16, but when father Abraham,
when the rich man cried up out in hell and he said, father,
send me Lazarus or Abraham, send me Lazarus. send me Lazarus that
he might, you know, give me a drink of water. And he said, no, well,
send Lazarus to my brethren. That's where I was going with
that. Send Lazarus to my brethren that they may hear. And Abraham
said, no, they won't. They have the law and the prophets.
They have Moses and the prophets rather. they have Moses and the
prophets. Well, what was Abraham saying
to the rich man? They have the law and the prophets.
They have the law and the gospel. And if they won't believe the
law and the gospel, then neither would they believe Lazarus if
he rose from the dead. That's where I was trying to
go with that. So the point being that when we read of Moses in
the New Testament, we're reading about the law. And because Moses
is a picture of the law, does that, okay. Now, so in this passage
and in these passages, it helps to understand Moses in this text
speaking as the law. We want to go back to Exodus
chapter 19 and as I said I'm going to try to summarize as
much as I can as we go through here So let me again Say The question, the dilemma, why
is Moses speaking as he is speaking? What brought about the circumstances
and the conditions for him to be so distraught? That's what
we're gonna look at, okay? Our setting, and this begins
in Exodus chapter 19 in verse 1. In the third month, when the
children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt,
the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai. And what
this is telling us, where are we at in this story with Moses?
Okay, we go back to here, they've crossed the Red Sea, they've
left Egypt, okay? They've gone across the Red Sea,
and now they've come into Sinai. Okay, and what happens when they
come to Sinai, after they leave Egypt, they go across the Red
Sea, and now they're at Sinai. Verse three, and Moses went up
unto God, and the Lord called on him out of the mountain, saying,
thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and to tell the children
of Israel. You have seen what I did unto
the Egyptians and how I bear you on eagle's wings and brought
you unto myself. Now, therefore, now here a covenant
is about to be offered. God Almighty is getting ready
to offer or to propose to this people a covenant. Look at the
covenant. Now, therefore, verse five, If
you will obey my voice indeed, that's a condition. If you will
obey my voice and there's another condition, keep my covenant,
then here's what'll happen. You shall be a particular treasure
unto me above all the people for all the earth is mine. And
you shall be unto me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words which thou
shalt speak unto the children of Israel. Remember I said when
Moses speaks to the people, he's speaking for God. And he's getting
ready to speak the law, the commandment. And Moses, verse 7, came and
called for the elders of the people and laid before their
faces all the words which the Lord commanded him. And all the
people answered together. Now, the Lord has given the covenant
and it's been presented to the people. Now, what do the people
say? All that the Lord hath spoken,
we will do. There has been a covenant of
works established. The Lord has said to the people,
if you do this, and if you do that, if you obey, and if you
keep, then you'll be holy, you'll be particular, and you'll be
blessed. And the people say to the Lord, they speak to Moses,
to return to the Lord and say everything that the Lord has
told us to do, we will do. And by the way, that's what the
sinner does. Whatever he hears that the Lord
commands, yes, that's what I'll do. That is what natural man
does. Now, if we were to turn and,
okay, in this same chapter, and now I want to begin summarizing,
but it speaks for now that the people have agreed to keep the
covenant. Now, Moses goes back up to Sinai,
and this is where he goes up to Sinai, and the people are
at the foot of the mountain, and God says, Moses, don't let
the people come near the mountain, and the mountain's quaking, and
there's thunders, and there's lightning, And the Lord speaks
and the people tremble. And the Lord gives to Moses the
10 commandments. Okay? And then he brings to the
people these 10 commandments. And in verse, at the last verse,
chapter 19, beginning in verse five, so Moses went down unto
the people. He's just come down from Sinai.
and spake unto them, and this is what he spake, verse one,
and God spake all these words, saying, I am the Lord thy God,
which hath brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the
house of bondage. And now here is the first commandment,
the first condition, thou shalt have no other gods before me. That's the first commandment.
And we could go on and read all the other commandments here.
But that was the first commandment. And for our message to not, that's
the only commandment we need. That's the only commandment we
need. Because we're gonna find that these people, they can't
keep the first commandment. They entered into a covenant
with God Almighty. They entered into a covenant
and says, we will. and they sinned and fell on the
first commandment. Now, after Moses brings the commandments,
those 10 commandments to the people, what the Lord has spoken,
he then goes back up to the mountain, up on Sinai. And it is there
from Exodus, from right here, this 20, I think maybe about
1920, but all the way up to chapter 31, Moses has gone back up on the
mountain. And this whole time, the Lord is giving him all the
commandments. He's given him the law of the
tabernacle. He's given him the ark of the
covenant. He's given him dimensions for the tabernacle. He's given
him the services of the priests and the services of the Levites.
And so this time that he's given the people the 10 commandments,
but now he's gone back up to the mountain. And all this time,
the Lord is giving Moses the laws, the ceremonial laws, and
the ritual laws, and the feast days, and all these things, while
the people are waiting in the camp. And then that is where
I want you to turn, Exodus chapter
32. So as I said, Moses is up on the
mountain, and the people are in the camp. And let us remember
what that first commandment was. Thou shalt have no other gods
before me. Now, verse one. And when the
people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount,
The people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said
unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us. For as for
this Moses, the man that thou brought up out of the land of
Egypt, we want not what is become of him. And Aaron said unto them,
Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your
wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto
me. And all the people broke off
the golden earrings which were in their ears and brought them
to Aaron. And he received them at their
hand and fashioned it with a graven tool after he had made it a molten
calf. And they said, listen to what
they said. These be the gods, O Israel,
which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. Remember the
first commandment. And when Aaron saw what he had
built an altar before it, and Aaron made a proclamation and
said, tomorrow is the feast of the Lord. And they rose up early
in the morning and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat
and to drink and they rose up and play. Complete idolatry. Now. There's a passage of scripture.
Romans chapter seven. Chapter 7, verse 9. I was alive without the law once,
but when the commandments came, sin revived and I died. Before the children of Israel
went to Sinai, there was no law. Is that right? But when they
entered into an agreement with God Almighty that they would
keep that law, and they broke that law, when the commandment came, sin
revived, and I died. There is a death sentence now
against the children of Israel. There is a law that is in place
that condemns them Oh, they were condemned already, but the law
came that sin might be made exceedingly sinful. And now they are in trouble. Look at the verse 10 of chapter 32. This is our Lord's
response. This is his response to Moses.
Now, therefore, let me alone that my wrath may wax hot against
them and that I might consume them and I will make of thee,
speaking to Moses, a great nation. God was angry. God was angry
with these people because God is holy and God is righteous. And God's law cannot go unpunished. And there is now a law that says,
ye shall have no other gods before me. And God in righteous indignation
is ready to kill them. And if you read down Moses, oh,
Moses becomes distraught even here. And he goes to the Lord
and says, Lord, what about your covenant? What about your promise
that you made with Abraham? What about Abraham and Jacob
and Isaac? What are the Egyptians going
to say? What are the Egyptians going to say? Lord, please don't
kill them. Please don't kill them. There's
a sentence of death on them. Well, the sword does come out. Moses, they're separated from
their tents. And if you was to read on down
through this chapter, it says the Levites, Moses appointed
the Levites to take their swords and go through the camp. Well,
they did. And they went through the camp and there was 3,000
men killed with the sword. There was 3,000 that died with
the sword. They were all guilty, but there
was only 3,000 of them to die. And Moses, even after that, if
you were to go down and read into verse 31, Moses still goes
back to the Lord. And he still pleads. After the
deaths of the 3,000, let's read this, verse 31. And Moses returned
unto the Lord and said, oh, this people have sinned. He's just
killed 3,000 of them, a great sin, and have made them gods
of gold. Yet now, if that will forgive
their sin, and if not, blot me out, I pray thee. out of the
book which thou hast written. And the Lord said unto Moses,
Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my
book. So you see Moses has gone back
to the Lord and he's pleading. The Lord just killed 3,000 to
the Levites. And then Moses is still, there's
still a sentence of death on him. And God is pleading for
this people. Well, We read on chapter 33,
verse one. And the Lord said unto Moses,
depart, and go up hence, thou and the people which thou hast
brought up out of the land of Egypt, unto the land which I
swear unto Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, unto thy
seed will I give it. And I will send an angel before
thee, and I will drive out the Canaanite, and the Amorite, and
the Hittite, and the Pezzerite, unto the land flowing with milk
and honey. For I will not go up in the midst
of thee. For thou art a stiff-necked people,
lest I consume thee in the way. You know what the Lord has just
told him? Y'all go on up to the land, but
I'm not gonna go with you. I'm too holy. If I go with you,
I'm gonna kill you. because you're so wicked and
you're so evil. And look at the next verse. And
when the people heard these evil tidings, they mourned, and no
man put on his ornaments. You see what has happened? God
has given his law, and the people have broken that law, and now
they are guilty. And then when we turn and we
begin reading here in our text, where we turned to there at the
beginning, we talked about the distraughtness of Moses. This
is why, this is what happened. These, the conditions, but when
we hear of, I'll be mercy to whom I'll be merciful and I'll
be gracious to whom I'll be gracious, The reason the Lord spoke that
is because of Moses here and him coming to the Lord. Lord,
who are you going to send with us? You said you weren't going
to come with us because we're so evil and we're so wicked. Lord, what's the way? And how
are we going to know that we found grace in your sight? And
something else about the distraughtness of Moses here, to the best that
I, and I didn't think about it until later in the day, but to
the best of my knowledge, when the Levites killed those 3,000,
I think that's the first time the Lord had ever drawn sword
on Israel. I think that's right there. And so you can see that
Moses is under just a tremendous amount here. And oh, everybody's
heart broke. Moses thought that we're going
to the land of Canaan and all these, the law was given and
they couldn't keep the law. Well, turn to Galatians chapter
three. And I think these two verses
right here might be able to give us a good summary of what we
have just read. Galatians chapter 3, verse 10, I'm sorry. For as many
as are of the works of the law are under the curse, for it is
written, cursed Is everyone that continueth not in all the things
which are written in the book of the law to do?" Isn't that
just what we've seen with Israel? So, Moses is distraught. But remember we said that Moses
represents the law? Moses was not to bring salvation. The law was not to bring salvation. See, the law is not able. If
the law attempts to bring salvation, it's going to become distraught.
It can't. What's the purpose of the law?
Look at verse 24. Wherefore, the law was our schoolmaster
to bring us unto Christ. So if we go back to our text,
Exodus chapter 33, find Christ. For wherein, we'll begin reading in verse
18. When Moses said, after he had
given these pleads, 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. Now, before we go any further,
let's make a comment about that. I want you to see the tenderness
that this was spoken to Moses, the kindness. It was of the Lord's
tender mercies. Look back at verse 11. And the Lord spake unto Moses
face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. Is not the Lord
the friend of sinners? And have we just not read how
the people have fell into sin? And have we not felt how the
people are condemned? Have we not read where the people
have no hope? They don't know the way? Is not
the Lord Jesus Christ the friend of sinners? Does he not eat with
publicans and sinners? You see, when we read that verse
11, we're wrong when we think that God spoke to Moses as a
friend because Moses was more righteous than the others. He
wasn't. He was a sinner just like the
others. Well, maybe he wasn't a bad sinner. How many sins did
it take to condemn Israel to death? Do you see what I'm saying? So this mess, this words that
are given, I will be merciful on whom I will be merciful and
I will be gracious on whom I will be gracious. Those are tender
words spoken to the man who has No hope. He had hope in the law,
and that hope is gone. He had a hope of a promised land,
and it's gone. He don't know the way. He don't
know who's going to take him. He don't know how. How can I
be saved? Everything's come to an end.
There's no hope for me. There is hope. I will be merciful
on whom I'll be merciful. It has nothing to do with your
wickedness. It has nothing to do with your
righteousness. It has to do with my goodness,
the Lord's goodness, and his determination, and his purpose
to save sinners. So the religious, they hate this
passage of scripture, or they try to explain it away. But for
the sinner, This is good news. And you know what I found as
I looked? Remember how I spoke of loving
tender mercies and mercies new every morning? This is our Lord
every morning. This is tender mercy. This is
his goodness. Well, look at verse 21. 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 the cleft of the
rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by. Do you
know what? Do you know what Moses seen from
that rock? He seen how God could be merciful. He was put in Christ. He was put on that rock. He was put in that rock and covered. All of those sins of those people
is explained right there in that rock. right there in that rock. Gabe read this passage Wednesday
night and I wrote it down just as soon as I heard it. Turn to
Jeremiah chapter 31 and we'll close. And this, we will read both verses
one and two. Beginning in verse one. At the
same time, saith the Lord, will I be the God of all the families
of Israel. I'll be the God of all the families
of Israel. And they shall be my people. Thus saith the Lord, Look specifically
at verse two and look closely. The people which were left of
the sword, remember I told you about the Levites? Those are
the people. The people that were left, the
people that remained found grace. They found sovereign grace in
the wilderness, even Israel. When I went, the cast caused
him to rest. Well, that's our message this
evening.