Well, we move on to Exodus chapter 5, just the first three verses this morning. Let me read those verses to you. Moses and Aaron had the message from God, and they'd met, and we had a message from verses 27 and 28 last week. And then they went to the elders of the children of Israel and spoke the words and the people believed. God said they would believe. He makes his people willing in the day of his power. And so now they're going with the approval of the elders of the children of Israel to go and tell Pharaoh that God says, let them go. This is what it says, chapter five, verses one to three.

And afterward, Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, let my people go, that we may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness. And Pharaoh said, who is the Lord that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go. And they said, the God of the Hebrews hath met with us.

Let us go, we pray thee, three days journey into the desert and sacrifice unto the Lord our God. lest he fall upon us with pestilence or with sword. I've called this the God of the Hebrews. You see, the true God, the one true God, there only is one true God, he has a people.

He's created all things, he's created all people on earth, but of those people, God has a people that he particularly owns, that he particularly loves, that he has loved from eternity, from before the beginning of time. Who are they? They're an innumerable, multi-ethnic multitude. What marks them out? Before the beginning of time, God betrothed them to his Son, his Son who is God. He betrothed his people to his Son. But the thing is that those people that God loved eternally are born, as we all are, into the kingdom of Satan in this world, in sinful flesh. And naturally, we're like all people born into this world.

Naturally, we have no idea of the things of God. The natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God. They're foolishness to him, neither can he know them. Why? Because they are spiritually discerned. Unless God gives you spiritual discernment to see, you cannot see. And that's what we're all like by nature.

But God's purpose is to save those people, that multitude that he loved, out of this world. And how does he do that? He fits them for his kingdom, for nothing that defiles can enter therein. But he fits his people for his kingdom, by the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. And he takes them there.

But the thing is, this world and Satan, the prince of darkness, is strong. and won't willingly let the people go, won't willingly let the people of God go to that kingdom of God. Look how strong the prince of darkness is, the masses of humanity that we see all around us, the hundreds of thousands all around us, millions in spiritual darkness.

Ignorant of God. Absolutely no knowledge of the God who made us. Bound in sinful rebellion against God. Indeed, just as these Israelites were, in reality, slaves. Slaves, you say? I'm not a slave, we're freeborn. No, you are. You're a slave to sin. You're a slave to Satan. You're a slave to the unbelief of this world by nature. The exodus of the Israelites from Pharaoh and from Egypt to the liberty of the land that God promised hundreds of years before to their fathers, that illustrates, that actual history illustrates God's recovery of his beloved people from Satan's dominion.

So in these three verses, God speaks. This is the first point. God speaks. God is not silent. Afterward, Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, thus saith the Lord God of Israel. God speaks in this world. The God that most people know nothing of and want nothing to do with, God who is above all and over all, the Lord God speaks. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel. You better sit up and take notice. The Lord God of Israel speaks. Creation speaks all around. We read at the start, Psalm 19. Look at the first four verses of Psalm 19 again. Psalm 19, the heavens declare the glory of God.

It didn't come about by some big bang. They were created by God. The heavens declare the glory of God. The firmament showeth forth his handiwork. Day unto day, every day, they're speaking, they utter speech. What are they saying? Look, here's the handiwork of God, is what they're saying. Night unto night showeth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, no human speech or language, where the voice of God in creation is not heard. It's everywhere, all around. Their line is gone out through all the earth and their words to the end of the world.

God speaks and God speaks in his creation, and he sends forth his prophets and his preachers to declare, as Moses and Aaron did to Pharaoh, thus saith the Lord. Thus saith the Lord. What was it they said to him? God says this, let my people go. God doesn't stay silent in this creation. God doesn't stay silent in this world.

He says to Satan, to the kingdom of Satan, to the kingdom of this world, let my people go, because I've called them to a feast. They must hold a feast unto me in the wilderness. What does the wilderness speak of? The wilderness speaks of a separation from the world. The people of God, the true people of God, are called into a wilderness separation from this world. Let my people go that they may hold a feast unto me. in wilderness separation from this world. What is the feast? It's fellowship with God. It's the foretaste of that glorious marriage supper of the Lamb, that goes on for eternity, the communion of God with his people.

I will be to them a God and they shall be to me people there's a separation from this world for this world is the kingdom of Satan and the people of God must be separate from this world separate from it we read in Ian Pops's book of daily readings a reading earlier this week and it was a little snippet by Scott Richardson I don't know if any of the rest of you are reading these readings but they're very good and Scott Richardson who now is long since gone but he was a lovely preacher of the gospel of grace he says this In vain do we claim to be saved if the world still rules our heart. I thought that was very profound.

In vain do we claim to be saved if the world still rules our heart. You see, God here makes a reasonable demand of Pharaoh. Let my people go three days journey into the wilderness. Just let us do that. so that he might bear his just judgment when he refuses. God speaks to this world, but the world refuses to hear. They make God a liar. We don't believe him. We want nothing to do with him. They deny any knowledge of the Lord.

And so, like Pharaoh, they say this. Verse two, Pharaoh said, who is the Lord? Who is the Lord that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go. Effectively, he's saying to Moses and Aaron, You say, thus says the Lord, thus says Jehovah. The Lord is in small capital letters there in our translation. It's meaning the Jehovah, the Yahweh, name of God. What has this God got to do with me is what Pharaoh says.

I won't obey his orders. I don't know the Lord. I don't know this Lord Jehovah. Israel, these people, they're my slaves and they'll do what I say. Ah, but Pharaoh. Ah, but Pharaoh. You see, this is what the world all around us says. Who is the Lord? I know not the Lord. Ah, but Pharaoh. If you knew who he was, you'd have a different response.

Do you know when Jesus met that woman of Samaria by the well? And the disciples had gone to buy bread. So he's there on his own, leaning on the well, sitting on the edge of the well. And the Samaritan woman comes when nobody else was there because she was ashamed.

And he says to her, woman, give me a drink. You're drawing water, give me a drink. It was a hot day. Give me a drink. And she said, you're a Jew. You have nothing to do with Samaritans. Why are you asking me, a Samaritan, for this? And Jesus said, woman, If you knew who is asking you for a drink, you would ask him, and he would give you living water, living water, welling up inside, living water.

If you knew, Pharaoh, who it is that says, thus says the Lord, if you knew what God says, you would be all ears. Do you know that's... that expression, you'd be all ears. It means obey, you would hear, you would submit to him, you would be all ears to hear what he has to say. And like this God-rejecting world, if you knew, they would be all ears to hear what this God has to say. Do you know, anybody listening to this, whether live now or a recording later, do you know who the Lord God is?

You see, you won't know by natural worldly wisdom. You won't know by science, falsely so-called. You won't know by the reasoning of this world. Because Paul tells the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 1.21, that this world, by its wisdom, knew not God. In the wisdom of God, the world, by its own wisdom, which is ignorant of the things of God, knew not God.

It's a fearful thing. to leave this life not knowing God. It says this in 2 Thessalonians 1, verses 7 and 8. It says that, speaking of Christ coming again, our God coming back in judgment into this world to take his people to be with him, and it says this, the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, taking, listen, taking vengeance on them that know not God. It's a fearful thing not to know God. Pharaoh says, I know not the Lord. It's a fearful thing. Vengeance is coming on you, Pharaoh, because you know not the Lord, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

So let's try to answer who is the Lord from the word of God. Let's try to answer Pharaoh's question. He says, who is the Lord? Let's try to answer that question from the word of God. First of all, he's creator of all things. The Lord God who speaks is creator of all things. He's the source of life. There is no life without God. It is God who has intelligently designed everything that we sense around us in this world. Everything in the universe that we sense is the intelligent design of God. He's the one that's done it.

I've referred you to this scripture often, but let's go there again, Romans chapter one. Romans chapter 1 verse 18, Paul writes this, the wrath of God, the anger of God, the just anger of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness. You see, that truth is known to them, basically, instinctively, by virtue of being creatures made in the image of God. But they hold that truth, they call it a lie, they hold it in unrighteousness.

Because, verse 19, that which may be known of God is manifest in them. You see, what I've just said, It's within our very being, created in the image of God, that there is there the knowledge of God, that He exists, for God has showed it to them. For the invisible things of Him, of God, from the creation of the world, are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made. We can't see the invisible things of God, but the creation declares them, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that people, unbelieving people, are without excuse.

Because when they knew God, because we're made in His image, They glorified him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man and to birds and four-footed beasts and creeping things. You see, this world is full of intellectuals who think that they know so much. I've forgotten his name straight off the top of my head, but I remember one from some time ago, and the older ones will remember him.

He was always on the BBC pontificating, a man called Ludovic Kennedy, and he was a well-known atheist. And he wrote a book about his atheism. And I remember seeing an interview where somebody asked him, but Ludovic, when you die, if you discover that there is a God, and you were wrong all along about there not being a God, what will be your excuse to God for not believing him? And Ludovic Kennedy said this, he said, I'll tell him to his face, there wasn't enough evidence. You didn't provide enough evidence.

What does the scripture say? There without excuse. It's all around. The evidence is all around. You know, next week, one day next week, David Attenborough, Sir David Attenborough, national treasure. He's narrated all the BBC wildlife programs for years and years. That wonderful photography, which if you just look at it objectively without the commentary, is a marvellous demonstration of the creation of God.

And he turns 100 next week. And they're going to make such a fuss of him because he's turned 100. But do you know, He's always denied. There it is, right in front of his eyes. He's always denied that God has made all things. He does what it says in Romans 1.25. He's changed the truth of God into a lie and worshipped and served the creature more than the creator who is blessed forever. That's what he did.

Who is the Lord? There's no such thing as the Lord, these people say. I'll tell you who the Lord is. He's what John says in his first chapter of his gospel. John 1 verse 9. He is that true light. In our Lord Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh. He is that true light that lighteth every man that comes into the world.

If you're living and breathing and thinking, it's because you have life from God. But professing themselves to be wise, as we've just read, people unbelieving, professing themselves to be wise and to know so much that there is no God, they became fools with their evolution. They became fools with their nonsense about it putting itself together. No, the creation speaks, as we read, Psalm 19, it declares the glory of God. You, we all, are created beings, and God is our creator.

You say, I can't get my head round who he is. Well, no, we can't, naturally. Job said this, chapter 11, verse 7. Job asked this question. Canst thou by searching find out God? Canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? Well, no. Not in the power of fleshly wisdom, but by God's Spirit you can.

For God says again and again, here's an example, Jeremiah 29 verses 13 and 14. God says this to people, ye shall seek me and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart, and I will be found of you, saith the Lord. There is God promising that if you seek him, you will find him. Okay, who is the Lord, asked Pharaoh, that I should obey him?

He's your creator, you better listen to him. You cannot avoid him. He's your judge. You cannot avoid him. Then secondly, he's sovereign. This God is sovereign. You see, the world has its gods that are pathetic, that can't do anything. They lift up their idols, but they're pathetic. But the true God, who is the Lord?

He's omni. He's omnipotent, all-powerful. Nothing he cannot do. Our God is above all things. Our God is omniscient, all-knowing. There's nothing that he does not know. You cannot hide anything from him. Ah, well, let's go and hide from his presence. He's omnipresent. He's all-present. He's present everywhere. Psalm 139, where can I go to hide from him? Nowhere. You cannot go anywhere to hide from him. He's the omnipotent God.

But this world, and the pharaohs of this world, and those that think like him. I know not the Lord, I know nothing about him. There was a great and mighty ruler, Nebuchadnezzar, of the Babylonian Chaldean kingdom. And he was omnipotent in his own sphere. He could decree, and that would be your head removed from your shoulders. He was over all things. Nebuchadnezzar ruled the known world.

But God humbled him. Listen to this. You know, God took away his reason. God took away his rationality. God humbled him. And look what he said. This is Nebuchadnezzar speaking. It's recorded in the scriptures. The Word of God records the words of this great and mighty emperor. You can go to the British Museum and you can see things archaeologically from the time of Nebuchadnezzar and his kingdom. And this is what he said.

When his mind came back to him, this is what he said. At the end of the days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me. He sought the Lord, and he found him. With all his heart, he would be found. I sought the Lord, and he says, I lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the Most High, and I praised and honored him. that liveth forever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion.

You know, I think of this world going about its business with no thought for the things of God on this day. And here's this man, this heathen emperor brought to understand that the Most High is the one to be praised. Him that liveth forever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion. My kingdom is trivial. His kingdom is everlasting. His kingdom is from generation to generation.

All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing, and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay his hand. Nobody can stop him doing what he wants to do or say to him, what doest thou? At that same time, says Nebuchadnezzar, my reason returned unto me. God taught him who he was. I know not the Lord. Who is the Lord? Nebuchadnezzar learned who the Lord was.

The one who rules over all to accomplish his purpose of grace to his people. And nobody and nothing is able to stop him. Job said, who will say to God, what are you doing as if you can stop him? He even, it tells us in Romans chapter nine, Paul writes there, in Romans chapter nine, this God, our God, God Almighty, raised up this rebel Pharaoh to show God's power and glory. Because why?

As the Proverbs tell us, Proverbs 21 verse 1, the heart of the king is in the hands of the Lord. Who is the Lord? Who is the Lord? He is God Supreme. to whom every knee must bow and confess his lordship. You know, it says that in Isaiah 45, every knee shall bow and confess. It's repeated in Philippians chapter 2. Every knee shall bow and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. So, he's creator, he's sovereign, he's holy judge. He is perfect in holiness. He is what we read earlier in 1 Timothy chapter 6. And that's why I had us read this chapter. Potentate means the God who can do everything.

King of kings and Lord of lords. This is our Lord Jesus Christ. Until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, He shall show who is the blessed and only potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who only hath immortality, dwelling in light which no man can approach unto, whom no man hath seen nor can see, to whom be honor and power everlasting. No man has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has made Him known. He has manifested Him. He has declared Him. This God is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity, says Habakkuk.

He cannot look upon sin, and we must all face judgment. It's appointed to man to die once and then the judgment. That day is coming. It'll either come when you're young by an accident, or by a disease or by illness or in old age when, as all of our bodies do, they finally stop working. We must all die and face God in judgment. It's appointed to man once to die and then the judgment.

And we stand there either in our own sinful guiltiness or the only way to hide safely in that cleft which is the rock who is Christ. God said, I will put you in the cleft of the rock. It's a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God for he is a consuming fire and he must punish sin. What must I do to be saved?

It tells us in Psalm 2 and no end of other places. The Philippian jailer, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Psalm 2 verse 12, kiss the sun. lest he be angry and ye perish from the way when his wrath is kindled but a little. Kiss the Son, kiss the Lord Jesus Christ, our God revealed in Christ. Come to him for mercy, seeking his goodness. What must I do? Kiss the Son.

How will you fare when you stand before God at that appointment that we all must keep? How will you fare when you stand before him? In the prophet Malachi chapter 3 verse 2, having said that the Lord shall suddenly come to his temple, it says, who may abide the day of his coming? How will you fare when you stand before him? Who may abide the day of his coming?

And who shall stand when he appeareth? we went for a a lovely day out on friday by train to winchester and it was a beautiful weather as you all know and uh... we went around winchester the old mill absolutely gorgeous in the sparkling in the spring sunshine with all the flowers out beautiful and then we went around winchester cathedral uh... because of the architecture and it's absolutely marvelous it's wonderful architecture i mean the the the stone carving is awe-inspiring.

It's just staggering, the skill. Hundreds and hundreds of years ago, how they meticulously, I mean, I could imagine them doing about 20 days' work on one of these great things and then all of a sudden slipping and it cracking and falling apart, you know. But the skill that must have gone into it. But it's filled with idolatry, religious idolatry. A lovely lady showed us around, but she was absolutely taken up with the benefits of the saints.

The saints is somebody that's done a miracle. So the saint Swithin who put some broken eggs back together apparently so that therefore makes him a saint. You and I who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ according to them are not saints. We haven't done a miracle or anything like that. You see how wrong it is, it's not according to the scriptures.

And there was an area where there were a load of saints' bones, and there's a little tunnel underneath it. And to gain favour with God, they used to crawl underneath the bones of the saints and lie there and think that God will look on them more beneficially because they've lain underneath the bones of the saints. Oh dear, dear, oh dear. How stupid. You read the scriptures where it talks about people's idols of wood and stone and they can't speak and they can't do anything.

The Apostle John tells us, the Apostle John tells us how we can stand before that throne of God. In 1 John chapter 2 and verse 28, little children, Abide in Him, in God, in Christ. Abide in Him, that when He shall appear, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. How are we not going to be... What is it to be ashamed before His coming? It's to be judged guilty and bear your condemnation. That's what it is to be ashamed. How is it that we can have confidence not to be ashamed?

It's to abide in Him. It's to abide in the Lord Jesus Christ. It's to rest in the salvation that He has accomplished. No other Fallen creature can do anything for my standing with God, but the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me Ah, that's the one in whom I am secure. I don't need a building as beautiful as it is. I don't need a load of history I need just one thing to know this in my heart that Christ has died to pay the penalty for my sin and he's Restored me. He's made me his and he will accept me into his kingdom this is God who is his people's saviour. Who is the Lord? God, who is his people's saviour, the saviour of his people, the one who delivers them from bondage and slavery to sin.

The God of his people the God of the Hebrews. The God of the Hebrews. Verse three, they said, Moses and Aaron said to Pharaoh, the God of the Hebrews, the Lord God, he's the God of the Hebrews, hath met with us. Let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the desert and sacrifice unto the Lord our God, lest he fall upon us with pestilence or with sword.

Who is the Lord? He's the sovereign creator. He's the holy judge. But in mercy and grace, He is the God of the Hebrews, the God of his eternally beloved elect people, elect multitude, the ones that are the objects of God's grace, the ones for whom God was gracious, the people taken from this world into the kingdom of God.

There, naturally, in these days when Moses and Aaron were speaking, They're the natural offspring of Abraham, the physical descendants of Abraham, to whom it tells us in Galatians, Galatians 3 verse 8, God, have you heard this before? God preached the gospel to Abraham. I never saw that. It's there in scripture.

God preached, when he called him out of Ur of the Chaldees and took him to that land that he promised to him and his descendants, God preached the gospel to him. In all those chapters, up to about chapter 21 of Genesis, from chapter 11 up to 21 of Genesis, God preached the gospel to Abraham. He took him from his world of idolatry in Ur of the Chaldees. That was on the other side of the river Euphrates.

And Hebrews comes from The ancient word, and I'm no linguistic expert, but I looked this up and it looks credible to me. Ibri, Ibri. Hebrews comes from Ibri. Ibri means on the other side, on the other side of the river. They were people on the other side of the river Euphrates, in that which in the word of God symbolized the unbelieving world, the kingdoms of Gog and Magog.

He took him from there and he set him on course for that city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Now this was talking about his natural descendants, but of course we know that the elect of God, the true people of God, the multitude that he will take with him to glory, are all of Abraham's, not natural, but spiritual offspring. It says it in Galatians chapter 3 a couple of times, it's quite clear. Those that are of faith, the same faith of Abraham, are his spiritual children.

The true Israel of God which is what Galatians 6.16 calls that elect of God, Jews and Gentiles without any distinction of national race, they are the ones who will be taken to glory. as Romans 9 verse 6 says, they are not all Israel, which are of Israel. What does he mean? They're not all that spiritual Israel, which were the natural descendants of Abraham. The natural descendants of Abraham were not all those who were of the spiritual Israel of God, because that spiritual Israel is composed of some who were descendants of Abraham, but a vast number who are from all, every tribe and tongue and kindred. What are they?

Look at verses 22 and 23 of Exodus 4. God says, you shall say to Pharaoh, thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn. And I say unto thee, let my son go that he may serve me. And if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn. Israel is God's son. Israel is God's son. It was pictured by physical Israel that was being called out of physical Egypt. But that promise is fulfilled by spiritual Israel, which is the church of the living God, in union with God the son. Do you know that there's more here than we've time to dig into, but let me just tell you, and you might want to meditate on it and look for it.

He says, I'm going to bring my firstborn out of Egypt. I'm going to bring my son out of Egypt. In Hosea, the prophet, chapter 11, verse 1, it says this, when Israel was a child, Then I loved him and called my son out of Egypt. If you look at Matthew chapter two, when Jesus was a baby, when he was a helpless little baby and Herod was seeking to destroy him, you know, the wise men, the magi had come from the east. And in a dream, an angel told Joseph, the betrothed husband of Mary, to take him down into Egypt. And so he did go down there into Egypt. And then in verses 14, he says, Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.

When he arose, he took the young child, this is Joseph, and his mother, Mary, by night, and departed into Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, that's Hosea 11 verse one, saying, out of Egypt. I have called my son. And it's in the Lord Jesus Christ, in union with him, that his people are called out of this fallen world into the kingdom of God. In union with Christ, who is God made known, his believing people are God's children, God's sons. Israel, called out of the world, the Israel of God, called out of the world, which is represented by Egypt, and they're set on course. for the promised land of God's eternal glorious kingdom.

Do you long for that? Do you profess to know God? Pharaoh said, I know not the Lord. Do you profess to know the Lord? Is he this God? Because you know there are many, many gods, but they're all false except one. Is the God you worship this God, this God of sovereign grace, of particular redemption, of eternal purpose? Most so-called Christianity does not know the God of the Hebrews. In fact, if you were to get down to it, you would find that they despise the very idea of the God of the Hebrews. They hate it, they hate it. But do you know the God of the Hebrews?

This is life eternal. In Philippians, Philippians chapter three, let me turn there, in Philippians chapter three, Paul tells us this in verse 8. Doubtless I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge, do you know the Lord? For the knowledge of Jesus Christ my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things in this world. The loss of Egypt, the loss of all things.

And do count them but done that I may win Christ and be found on that day when I stand before that judgment seat. I want to be found in him. Not having my own righteousness, which is filthy rags in his sight, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ. For it is the faith of Christ, not my faith in Christ, that gives me my standing with God.

The righteousness which is of God, by faith. that I may know him, do you know the Lord, that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death, if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. In Christ you will and you do. Or do you take the side of the world that says, who is the Lord, like Pharaoh, who is the Lord, I know not the Lord, Remember those words that I quoted earlier of Scott Richardson. You know, it's one thing to claim to be saved or to believe you're saved, but in vain do we claim to be saved if the world still rules our heart. Amen.