Exodus chapter 15. Exodus chapter
15. I will not read my text prior
to beginning my message. But my text and my subject is
actually found in Exodus chapter 15 verses 1 through 22. But we will, God willing, read
through every verse here as we go along. But let me give you
my title. My title for this morning is
Spirit-Filled Song. Spirit-Filled Song. Of course,
if you've looked, if you've turned in your Bible to Exodus 15, verses
one through 22, you will probably, more than likely, see a heading
at the top of the page, and it will be called The Song of Moses.
And that's certainly accurate. There's nothing wrong with that.
And as I began to look through this passage, and then I began
to look at the New Testament, I realized that songs that are
wrought in the hearts of men and women by the power of God's
grace are Spirit-filled songs. And I'll show you where I get
that from in a moment. Now, do not prejudice your mind against
this first statement. Please do not. Those of you who
may hear this later on TV, do not prejudice your mind with
this statement. Songs that are wrought in the
heart of men and women by God-given faith are never, never for entertainment. Never. What gives me the right to say
such a thing. I know of people who want to
entertain. We had one in our midst a few
years ago. And his heart's desire was to
sing gospel songs and entertain. He told me this. Of course at
the time I let it lay. He was young. He did not know
me very well. I did not know him very well.
And I did not want to attack him because attacking never works
to begin with. But I make no apology for that
statement. Songs wrought by a God-given faith are never for entertainment. They are to encourage us, to
admonish us, to rebuke us. There are many reasons, but entertainment
is never, ever one of them. What gives me the right to say
that? Here's what gives me the right. The songs of a God-given
faith are according to the scripture, our text, and even the New Testament. They are to be unto the Lord. And God is holy and does not
need to be entertained. Entertainment and a thrice holy
God are a word and a phrase that cannot be fit together. If you know anything about the
God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, his glory is such that he need
not be entertained. He said, if I was hungry, I wouldn't
ask you. Mason, if he wants entertainment, he'll entertain himself. He doesn't
need us to do it. But let me show you. Turn to
Ephesians chapter five. Ephesians chapter 5, and we will
also then look at Colossians 3, but I want to be brief here.
Here is the New Testament teaching on song. Now, songs are mentioned
in other places, but here's the actual doctrinal instruction
as to singing, as to song. First of all, Ephesians 5. Let's
begin in verse 18 because we want to get somewhat of the context. And be not drunk with wine, wherein
is excess. If you drink enough wine to be
drunk, you've drank too much. It's not a prohibition against
wine, but it is a prohibition against drunkenness. Be not drunk
with wine, wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit.
And Paul's not here just trying to rebuke drunkenness. He's using
this to Show an example. When a person is drunken, it
means they're under the influence of something other than their
own senses. I don't want to worship God according
to my own senses, because my own senses are flooded by the
Adamic nature, which still holds me in check in this world. Be
not drunk with wine where it is excess, and I will put it
this way, and I mean no disrespect, but be drunk with the spirit
of God almighty. May it be that he influences
you above and beyond yourself at
best. And that's a very bad way to
put it. But look, this is, and I just
seen this the other day. I was, as I was looking at Moses
song, the song of Moses, and it doesn't say, and also speak
to yourselves, does it? You see it? And be not drunk
with wine wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit,
speaking to yourselves. You see it? Speaking to yourselves
in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. You see, even Not just our gospel
preaching, not just our gospel testimony, not just witnessing
of Christ to someone else, but even our singing is to be filled
with the Spirit of God. You see it? That's what it says,
doesn't it? I've been trying to preach the
gospel for 30 some years, Joe, and never did see that right
there. But be filled with the Spirit, speaking yourselves in
psalms and hymns, spiritual songs, singing and making melody in
your heart, and here it is. Now we are to sing to one another,
with one another, amongst one another, but who's it to be to? To the Lord. To the Lord. Giving thanks always for all
things unto God, and I believe it means, there are times when
you read the word all, it has to be looked up in its context,
but here I believe it means give thanks to God for everything.
Here you go, what about the taxes you have to pay? Thank God for
it. Now you think, will that come
out of left field? No, as we will see, look at the end of
the context. Exodus 15 started in verse 23. How quickly we sing the songs
of Zion and then start to bellyache at the first thing coming down
the pike that rubs us the wrong way. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm Christ said you render
to Caesar And this is Caesar. This ain't the Senate This ain't
the House of Representatives. This ain't the president of the
United States This is one man who has the right to tell you
you give me everything you got if I want it Yes, or no And he
said, you render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's. You
render to God the things that are God's. When we bellyache
and complain, who are we bellyaching against if we know God Almighty
is sovereign over all things? My flesh recalls that. I don't
want to think of that as complaint. I'm just stating the facts. You ever been there? Never been
there. Songs of God-given faith are
unto the Lord. I'm not even going to read it.
Colossians 3, verses 16 through 18 says basically the same exact
thing. But here's the point. This is
where I get my title, Spirit-filled song. Because there is a lot
of singing that claims to be unto the Lord that's not unto
the Lord. Blake Shelton has a song, and
I have to admit to you, I like the beat of it. Blake Shelton has a song, and
it's called God's Country. Now, if you're too holy to listen
to country music, I understand you do not know the song. I understand
that. But if you're not, maybe you've
heard it. It's God's Country. And us good old patriotic United
States of America people, especially around this time of the year,
we're ready for a good old flag and God song. Now I sat and watched
a fella, he could blaspheme God with his mouth and use the Lord's
name in vain. Over and over with no compunction,
no shame, or no guilt, but when Blake Shelton, God country, comes
on the radio, he's a pat on his foot and his hand, singing God's
country. I'm telling you the truth. Somebody said, well you're being
mean now, I'm gonna get even meaner. I watch people, I listen
to people, I don't hear it much anymore, but God help me, God
forgive me, I used to do it myself. I also find other people singing
this song, the old rugged cross. And the song is blasphemous.
Because if you cherish that piece of wood on which Jesus Christ
died, as Henry Mahan, the late pastor of 13th Street Baptist
Church in Ashland, Kentucky said, you will perish in hell if you
worship that piece of wood. We worship him who died on that
tree. What I'm trying to point out
is, just because a song has the name of God in it, or quotes
some scripture or mentions Bible words does not mean it is spirit-filled
psalm. Well, this is the first time
that is in Exodus chapter 15. I'm sure it's not the first time
it ever happened, but it's the first time that we have publicly
recorded God's people gathering together or being together singing
unto the Lord. It's the first time. We went
through Genesis. Starting now through Exodus is the first time
I remember ever seeing something like this mentioned. Now listen
to me. The words of Christian song must
equal the truth of God's gospel, period. We must never be sticklers
for the gospel but not care about our song. We must be as sticklers for the
songs we sing as we are for the gospel we preach. Now our words are not perfect,
but we should strive to make them as perfect as they can be.
Now I understand why most religious people sing whatever kind of
song. I mean we've got some songs even in this book here, the old
primitive Baptist old school hymnal. And some of them are
as useless. Now listen to me as teats on
a snake. They're useless. They say nothing
of any value whatsoever. And yet people still sing them
over and over and they think they're worshiping God. But when we sing those songs,
we deceive ourselves. We deceive ourselves. Consider
this. Moose actually preached from
this passage last Sunday. God sings over his people with
songs of deliverance. God does. Psalm 32 and 7. He preached that message. I've
read that psalm over and over again. And all of a sudden it
dawned on me, God is the one doing the singing there, not
us. You remember him pointing that
out last Sunday? God sings songs of deliverance over us. But not
only that, according to Hebrews chapter two and verse 12, our
Redeemer himself sings in our very midst. You know what it
says? In the midst of the church, Christ
said, I will sing praise to God. Now, Joe, I don't know if that
meant he was with us this morning when we said, I don't know what
all that means, but I know our Redeemer sings in our midst. Amen. Now, if God Almighty sings,
we ought to sing. Amen. But we better sing with
our understanding. We don't want to be as tinkling
brass and sounding, it's not just a bang, bang, bang. The
flesh loves a good bang, bang, bang. I understand that. I know
that. I feel that. I have to fight
against that every day. But with this in mind, that is,
God the Father sings songs of deliverance. and our Redeemer
sings in our midst. With that in mind, let's see
our songs as they are to actually issue forth to God as seen in
our Lord's Day text right here. I have three things. The first
two, I will not spend much time on. The third one, I will spend
much more time on, in more detail, I should say. So then, when I
go through the first two points, and you think, well, he's been
an awful long time on that, then just prepare yourself, because
I still got number three to go. First thing, I'm actually gonna,
well, first thing, and I'll try to explain what I mean here.
Spirit-filled songs, always, spirit-filled songs now. I'm
talking about songs of our flesh, songs of religion. Country music
singers' songs, they love to put God in there. You know why?
Because it pads their pocketbook from professing Christians. That's
why they put God in their songs. Spirit-filled songs it always
express equal truth Explain they always express equal truth. There's
not a song for old people and a song for young people There's
not songs for the black church and songs for the white church
There is no black church and white church Just like there is no Jewish
Church and no Gentile Church there is the Church of God and
Now they may be churches predominantly made up of certain kinds of people,
but there is no such thing as a black church and a white church.
There is no such thing as a Chinese church or an Australian church.
It's the church of God. I don't care what your nationality
is, what the color of your skin is, what your language is, or
what your dialect is. Look at verse one of our text.
Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the
Lord, and spake, saying, I will sing, what's the first thing? Unto the Lord. For he hath triumphed
gloriously. The horse and the rider hath
he thrown into the sea. Now just hang on to that for
a second. We read the song and then Miriam comes out with musical
instruments. And what does it say? Verse 20.
And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel
in her hand, and all the women went out after her with timbrels
and with dances. And Miriam answered them, sing
ye how? Well, now, we're women. We sing from a different perspective.
We sing from a different position. We sing from a different place.
No, sir. First of all, how do you sing?
Sing ye to the Lord. And then you sing the same song
that we just sang with Moses and everybody else. You know
what it says? That's what it says, doesn't
it? Now I didn't spend too long on point one. But that's the
fact. I'm saying that true spirit-filled
song always expresses equal truth for everybody. God don't have
two or three kinds of grace. Exactly, that's right. Now listen,
here's what I'm trying to talk about. I say we, I've done it
myself. We speak of dying grace. There
is no such thing. You're right. There is grace
when you die. Yeah. But the grace that God gives
you when you die as a believer is the same blessed grace he
gave you when he saved you, when he converted you to the preaching
of the gospel. Amen. Now he giveth more grace, but there's not different
kinds of grace. There's only one kind of grace. Now, does that maybe help just
a little? So when we sing our songs, they
all are equal for all of us. Now, all of us haven't had the
same experience. We may not be able to enter into the song as
deeply, emotionally, or whatever, as someone else. But we always
sing the same truth. And if it's not the truth of
God, then let's not sing it at all. Right? That's number one. Number two, spirit-filled songs,
I've already actually given it to you, spirit-filled songs are
always, always, always to the Lord. If I sing a song, and I'm
singing it for the benefit of trying to impress my wife, it
is not a spirit-filled song. You get what I'm trying to say
now? It's just so. But I can't tell you that's always
been the way I sang, sang Joe, spirit-filled song. Now granted,
my tone and my ability to sing wouldn't impress her at all.
I understand that as well. But I'm just trying to make some
points here this morning. If you stand up and sing because
you're trying to impress the person beside you, you're not
singing filled with the Spirit of God. You're singing filled
with the flesh. That includes me, as well as
you, as well as anybody that hears me on that TV. Here's number
three. And we will spend some time here.
Spirit-filled songs always. Let me stop a moment. Spirit-filled
songs always now. I'm not saying that every song
we sing must have all of this in it every time You understand
what I'm saying now But I'm saying what this song gives us is the
foundation truth of every true born-again gospel converted believer
This is the foundation truth If you don't sing, if your songs
that you claim are spirit-filled and used as worship for God,
if they don't have these truths, this truth that's in Ephesians,
Exodus 15, 1 through 22, then your songs are wrong. And you
need to reevaluate your songs. Spirit-filled songs always praise,
extol, and exalt God That's not the end yet. Blake Shelton thinks he's extolling
God, but he talks about God's country. But he's talking about
Georgia. I'm serious, go listen to the
song if you want. He's talking about Georgia. Spirit-filled songs always praise,
extol, and exalt God as God is. Do you hear what I just said?
As God is. Don't just use the name of God
in a couple Bible words. Let's look at it in our text. Spirit-filled songs, they always
magnify God. They never magnify man. Now,
here's the thing. Read this spirit-filled song,
verses 1 all the way down to the end of the actual song. Where
once does it ever exalt man? Not once, is it? Now, we may
sing about our trials. We may sing about ourselves sometimes.
But you know what our songs have to incorporate when we ever,
ever talk about ourselves? It has to incorporate it to some
degree, this truth about ourselves. Oh, wretched man that I am. Philippians 3, the apostle Paul
put it this way. For we are the circumcision which
rejoice in Christ Jesus. But everybody that professes
to be a Christian would say that. But here's the moniker now. And
have no confidence in the flesh. None. Because my flesh is not
getting spiritual. My flesh is not getting better. It's not even getting less ugly.
I see it more ugly now than I seen it 30 some years ago when God
first began to show it to me. Maybe I just see more of it,
Joe, I don't know. But it's not getting worse. The
more God shows me my flesh, the more I cry out with Joe, I hate
myself. I repent in dust and ashes. Spirit-filled songs always magnify
God. One pastor put it this way, you
cannot preach God too high. You cannot preach God too high,
and you cannot preach man too low. Second thing here, spirit-filled
songs always praise, extol, and exalt God as God is. Number two,
spirit-filled songs see God as the actual reward. You see verse
two? Look at it. The Lord is my strength. They weren't singing the Lord
gives me strength, though he does. But that's not the point. The Lord is my strength and song. He is what makes me happy. Did
I put it that way? He's what makes me happy. Not
just what I believe, because some things I believe, now I
found out things I believed before weren't quite right. But He never
changes. He never changes. The Lord is
my strength and song. And He is, He didn't just give
me salvation. He did. But He didn't just give
me salvation. And He has become. my salvation. See, I'm saying to you, this
song was saying is if we're truly saved, God didn't just do the
saving. He did do the second, but he
is our salvation. You actually love him like he
is, or you don't love him at all. He has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will prepare
him in habitation, my Father's God, and I will exalt him. The psalmist put it this way,
and I think it was a Psalm of David. Forgive me if I'm wrong
on that. Psalms 23, the Lord is my shepherd. It doesn't just
say he shepherds me, though he does. But he is my shepherd. Now what's the conclusion to
that? If he's really my shepherd, I need nothing else. You know
what it says? The Lord is my shepherd, I shall
not want. You see, if I have him, I have
everything. Even if this don't have a dollar
bill in it. If I have him, it don't matter
if God kills me today. I have everything. You see spirit-filled songs put
God's the top And we ain't even at the bottom The book puts it
this way of us. We are filled with from the top
up here all the way down to the soles Our feet we're filled with
what wounds and Bruises we can usually deal with some of those
But what else? Putrefying, putrefying, rotten
flesh, putrefying sores. Now, if we sing spirit-filled,
that's where we're gonna put us. And then we're gonna do what? We're gonna exalt God. Number three, spirit-filled songs. They always exalt God as his
word reveals him to be. Look at verse three. The Lord
is a man of war. You see, if God decides to fight
against you, if God decides to fight against me, I'm a goner.
I'm a goner. This has nothing to do with whether
the United States declares war on Iran or if Iran declares war
on the United States and who's right in the whole matter. It
has nothing to do with that. This has to do with you better
hope, pray, cry out to God that He's on your side. Because we
by nature are at war with God. We better pray God he's not at
war with us. Because he is a man of war. Do you see it? Let's just read
on the next few verses here. Let me get my bearings. The Lord
is a man of war. The Lord is his name. Pharaoh's
chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea. His chosen
captains also were drowned in the Red Sea. These men had wives
and sons and daughters. Did they not? Some of these guys
were just working stiffs under the bondage of Pharaoh just like
the Israelites were to a degree. Right? Yet God was at war with
them. So God drowned them and left
their spouses back in Egypt with no husbands. You remember those
guys that had an evident in a great big pig farm? Well, it's a scriptural,
yeah. Great big pig farm, huh? And
it was a man possessed with a demon. Matter of fact, more than one
demon. They said, our name is Legion because we are many. But
they said to Christ, they said, we know who you are. You come
to torment us before our time? Christ gave them leave. He did
not send them directly to hell, the lake of fire, whatever it
is, whatever it is. He sent them into a herd of swine. Now some people owned these swine.
There were people who made their livelihood off these pigs. And what happened to those pigs?
They ran violently off a precipice and drowned, died. That's God. If God's against me, if God's
against you, we're in trouble. We're in trouble. The depths
have covered them. They sank into the bottom as
a stone. Thy right hand, O Lord. Now who
is that? God is spirit. Who is God's right
hand? The Son of God. The Christ of
God. Thy right hand, O Lord, is become
glorious in power. Thy right hand, O Lord, hath
dashed in pieces the enemy. And in the greatness of thine
excellency, thou hast overthrown them that rise up against thee. Notice, they see who the enemy
truly hates. God. God. God. Thou sentest forth thy wrath. God's wrath is not something
that bubbles up in him and bubbles up in him until he can't take
it no more and all of a sudden he pops off. The book of God says in
Romans 9, what if God willing to show his wrath? I'm going to tell you folks,
that frightens me. Because since I know God is a
man of war and he's willing to show his wrath, if he's willing
to show it to me, I'm in trouble. I'm in trouble. and with the
blast of thy nostrils. We heard, we read this before,
it was a great east wind. Well, where did that east wind
come from? God's nose. And it wasn't a, it was a. You see? Now, God uses these
human illustrations to, just God's, means more than all my. You see it? That's what he's
talking about. With the blast of thy nostrils,
the waters were gathered together. The flood stood up right as a
heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea. The
enemy said, I'm going in, too. I'm going in, too. I will pursue.
I will overtake. I will divide the spoil. My lust
shall be satisfied upon them. I will draw my sword. My hand
shall destroy them. No, it won't. Amen. No, it won't,
because if God is for you, Who can be against you? If God is
for you, the devil himself can't spit lest God says so. He can't
spit lest God says so. Thou didst blow with thy wind,
the sea covered them, they sank as lead in the mighty waters.
And notice Israel never says, boy, we deserve that. Did they? God was supposed to give us that
because of us. No, God was supposed to give
them that because God in himself purposed it in covenant relationship
with his son and the spirit for it to be done before the foundation
of the world. Spirit, song, always exalts God
as his word reveals God to be. No ifs, ands, or buts. Either
I believe God and love God as He is, or I don't believe God
and love God at all. Number four, spirit-filled songs
always proclaim God's uniqueness. Verse 11 and 12. Who is like
unto thee, O Lord, amongst the gods? who is like thee, glorious
in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders. Thou stretchest
out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them. In other words, as God puts it
this way, and you don't have to turn if you wish, it's fine,
but I'm gonna read it right away. Isaiah six says this, verse eight,
remember this and show yourselves men. Bring it again to mind,
O ye transgressors. I want to paraphrase it. Stand
up and be somebody, God says. You call yourself men, you call
yourself women, stand up, listen, listen. Remember the former things
of old, for I am God, and there is none else. I am God, and there
is none like me. Declaring the end from the beginning. and from ancient times, the things
that are not yet done, saying, my counsel shall stand. God has never wanted to do anything. God does as he pleases. My counsel
shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure, calling a ravenous
bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far
country. Yea, I have spoken it. I will
also bring it to pass. I have purposed it. I will also
do it. Hearken unto me, ye stout-hearted
that are far from righteousness. And that's where I am by nature.
That's where you're at by nature. But think of the glory of this
God who says, what I do, what I will to do, it be done. If
I speak it, it's so. But look, I bring near. Isn't that glorious? You stout-hearted? Do you see
that? Are you far from righteousness?
I bring near my righteousness, it shall not be far off, and
my salvation shall not tarry. I will place salvation in Zion
for Israel, my glory. In other words, if God wants
to save you, bless God, He will save you. And you ain't going
to be able to do anything about it. And when he starts doing
it, you'll be glad it's so. And when it's over, you'll be
just like Moses and these Israelites, Miriam and all them women. You'll
say, the Lord did this. The Lord did this. Here's another
thing, number four. Spirit-filled songs. Spirit-filled
songs clearly proclaim God's particular redemption. This book knows nothing about
universal redemption. This book, it knows nothing,
nothing. I'm not, I used to be years ago,
but also was a rebel against God years ago, too, in everything
I was. Look at it, let's just read it.
Spirit-filled psalm. Always proclaims God's particular
redemption. Look at verse 13. Thou in thy
mercy hast led forth thee of the people which thou hast redeemed. Jesus did not shed His blood
for the sins of everyone without exception. If He did, everyone
without exception is redeemed. I mean, either Jesus did a redeeming
or He didn't. Either He paid the price God
demanded or the price has never been paid. He didn't make a down
payment so I could add my faith to it. He made the payment and
that secures everything else. Repentance, faith, following
Him, obeying Him, serving Him, worshiping Him, singing to Him. He that spared not His Son for
us. Oh, there's a particular us there.
How shall he not with him also, what? Freely give us all things. Let's read a couple more. The
people shall hear and be afraid. Sorrow shall take hold on the
inhabitants of Palestina. Then the dupes of Edom shall
be amazed at the mighty men of Moab. Trembling shall take hold
upon them. All the inhabitants of Canaan
shall melt away. Fear and dread shall fall upon
them by the greatness of thine arm. They shall be as steel as
a stone till thy people pass over. O Lord, till the people
pass over which thou hast purchased. I want to be one of those purchased
people. Do you? Do you? Do you want to
be one of those purchased people? I remember Henry Mahan talking
about a fellow, and he had preached a message three or probably four
or five nights back then especially. And the fellow came up to Henry
and said, I want to tell you this. He said, I think. He said, I
don't know absolutely, but I think. If God were to come down right
now and tell me, whatever his name was, he said, Tom, or whatever
his name was, you're not one of my elect. You're just not
one of my elect. He said, I don't know for sure,
but I like to think. I'd say, Lord, that's OK. That's
your business. That's your business. But I sure
would like to be. Yeah. Huh? Amen. I sure would like to be. Election
doesn't cause pride. Election will put your face in
the dirt. Because election, knowing not just election, knowing the
God who elects, you also know if God elects some, he reprobates
others. That means he rejects them. Now,
our society uses the word reprobate as the old drunk out there under
the bridge, the old whore out there selling her body for money.
Well, she's an old reprobate. Maybe she's not. She might be
one of the elect of God. Reprobation doesn't have to do
with the state of depravity. Reprobation has to do with the
decree of God, whether he's accepted you in his son or whether he's
rejected you in yourself. and he has the right to both.
He can take any single individual, he can go whichever way he pleases.
He has the right, the right to do so. Number six, and I won't spend
much time here. Spirit filled songs in God's hope, in God's
power to reach the goal. Verse 17, thou shalt bring them
in. and plant them in the mountain
of thine inheritance in the place, O Lord, which thou hast made
for thee to dwell in, in the sanctuary, O Lord, which thy
hands have established." And somebody says, ah, preacher,
I got you there. Some of them didn't enter in.
Hebrews tells us it wasn't meant for them to enter in because
of unbelief. But some, M-U-S-T, some, M-u-s-t,
enter in. You know why? Because the works
were finished from the foundation of the world. And that goes both
ways. For those who died in unbelief
and God killed their carcasses, that's the way the book puts
it. Carcasses fell in the wilderness. But others believed God by his
grace. Number seven, our songs exalt
without apology God's absolute sovereignty over all things. That which makes the unregenerate
man so vehemently mad at God, at least in here, if he or she
don't show it out here. Who is God to do that to me? Have you ever spoke with someone
about the election of grace? And they say, you mean to tell
me God did choose me? Why don't you? There might be
hope. God may have chosen me. You know
why we do that? Because we know we don't deserve
it. Deep down in here, the law of God being written on our hearts.
We know we don't deserve it. That's why we always say or respond
in our unregenerate state. You mean God didn't choose me?
You trying to tell me I'm not one of the elect? I never said
such a thing. I just said God has an elect. Right? But you know, it is true. We
don't deserve it. We don't deserve it. You see, whether it's the truth of the
will of God's wrath or the truth of the will of God's mercy, we
should praise God equally for both. But we have a hard time
in this life doing that. Especially when that wrath hits
home to someone we care about. Child you raise, maybe brought
up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, then they turn their
back on God. Kind of hard to praise God's
wrath over that child, ain't it? Ain't it? Now come on now,
be honest. It's hard to do so. But that's
what we ought to do. Just as much, Mason, if God Almighty
saved them. Because God Almighty will be
glorified either way. Be glorified either way. Since
this is true. I didn't say if this is true.
This is true. People, you hear me on TV, if
this ever makes it to TV, this is who God is. Since this is true, let us, let
us watch, give diligence, let us consider our songs and our
ways, let us consider our walk. You hear me? Consider how you
live in this world, because it does matter. It does matter. Why? Let me give it to you. Consider
our songs, our ways, our walk. Because when God does, he will
do what he will. Verse 22. So Moses brought Israel
from the Red Sea. Think of this glory, just delivered
them to the Red Sea. Parted it. They parted. They walked through dry shod.
And then God laid all their enemies dead on the seashore behind them.
And look and Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea and they went
out into the wilderness of sure and they went three days into
the wilderness and Found no water You see that God has an uncanny
way of forcing us to either bellyache Or cry out to him for mercy Hmm
yeah Now, I told you, I said, the way you walk does matter.
Because as we begin to enter the next phase of the book of
Exodus, we will see murmuring and complaining and murmuring
and complaining. And we will see God Almighty
being gracious and being merciful and being compassionate. But
do not take that for granted for yourselves. Because the Apostle
Paul is quite clear. Go back and read 1 Corinthians
chapter 10. These folks, some of them are
a warning to us. The destroyer may lay hold of
you. Serpents may bite you. And that
brazen serpent on the pole, it wasn't for everybody. It was
just for those who looked. Right? Everybody else were goners. Everybody else were goners. that
we should not, Paul says, lust after. Lust after? They just wanted water. If you prefer water over God,
you're lusting. If you prefer your belly fill
over God as your reward, you're lusting. Let's stand and sing. Number
247. And may it be that we can sing
this as it is of the Lord and mean it.