Turn to Exodus 3. Standing on holy ground. There's far more in that than
I can touch, than I can bring out the rest of my life in preaching. There's far more in that statement. If we have God's presence tonight,
and to me just that statement, just thinking of that is awesome.
But if we truly have God Almighty's presence tonight, the gospel is preached tonight,
Christ exalted tonight, we are truly standing on holy ground.
Holy ground is wherever God is. It's where He is. And if He's
here tonight, if He's with us tonight, we are standing on holy
ground. Look what Moses did whenever
God spoke to him. It says in verse 6, moreover,
he said after he told him, you know, take off your shoes from
your feet, you're standing on holy ground. Moreover, he said,
I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac,
the God of Jacob, and Moses hid his face. It doesn't sound like
religion today, does it? I've watched it on TV more than
I should. Especially since I've been pastoring,
I've watched it more than I've ever watched it. so much over-familiarity
that it's evident they have absolutely no idea who he is. Moses. When God spoke to him, he hid
his face for he was afraid to look upon God. All right, let's look at these
first six verses. It is time for Israel to be delivered
out of bondage. Their cry has come up before
God. He says there in verse 7, I have
seen the affliction of my people. Moses is now ready. Listen, he's
80 years old. You reckon he's ready? God has
worked on this man for 80 years. He's 80 years old. He's now ready.
God has taught him humility. He has taught him patience. And
most of all, he has taught Moses his dependence upon him. Without me, you can do nothing. So now Moses, in verse 1, is
keeping the sheep of his father-in-law. He was content It says to dwell
with his father-in-law. And I thought it's a real blessing
when in-laws never become outlaws. When they can actually stay in-laws. Jacob and Laban couldn't do it,
but Moses and his father-in-law dwelt together in peace. They
dwelt together. And then we find Moses here on
the back side of the desert. This is God's seminary. He is in God's seminary. He's
in God's school. This is where God schooled His
servant for the task of delivering His people. Colleges can teach
us many things. If Holly's going to give me a
shot, I hope she's been to school and learned a whole lot. I hope
a whole lot. But I'll tell you this. Only
God, only God can teach the ways of God, the purpose of God, the
gospel of God. That's the only one who can teach
that is God. He's the only one who can teach
his people, I mean in the heart, to truly teach the lesson and
you learn it. John the Baptist was taught by
God in the desert. Our Lord took the disciples apart
many times and taught them. Paul was taught in the desert
of Arabia, and many believe that it was this mountain right here
is where Paul was taught by the Lord Jesus Christ. To be taught
of God He must bring us apart from all the commotion, must
bring us apart from the world, get our attention, and teach
us. Teach us. So Moses came to the
mountain of God, and he calls it the mountain of God because
this is where he met God on Mount Sinai here. And this is providence
at work. The Lord was directing his steps
all along. All along. He directs the steps
of all His children from the time they're born to the time
they die and they leave this world. Our steps are directed
by our Lord. They're directed by Him. We see
God working all things together to accomplish His purpose. You see, we work on things individually. We work on things one thing at
a time, but God works on all things all the time to accomplish
his purpose in time. It would amaze us if we could
actually see how the all of creation, the human race, the universe,
all works as smooth as clock. It's like clockwork. All of it
working together. You see, we see little bits and
pieces here and there, but God is orchestrating the whole thing. And God has providentially now
brought Moses to this point where He is going to use him. And then
in verse 2, while He's on the backside of this desert feeding
sheep, content, He's been there 40 years now, And we have no
evidence that God spoke during that 40 years. And for 400 years,
Israel hadn't heard a word. Not heard a word. And Moses,
back here on the backside of this desert, and it's time. It's time. And the angel of the
Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a
bush. And he looked, and behold, the
bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed." Here
is a bush on fire, and it's not consumed. But God appeared to
him. This is when we experience salvation, when God appears to
us. We hear the gospel preached.
And you say, I see. Can you remember when you heard
the Gospel and you just, the first time, maybe not the first
day, but you know, a period of time, you heard the Gospel and
you could see it. You could understand it. It became
alive to you. God appeared. God appeared in
the Gospel of Christ in this burning bush. I'm going to show
you how this bush represents our Lord here in a minute. But
God appeared to Moses. Moses was not looking for God
at this time. He was content to live and die
as a shepherd on the backside of that desert. He was content
to do it. God waited until Moses was an
old man. I was 50 years old when we started
doing this. And I had somebody tell me, well,
I don't know if I've ever seen God use somebody that old yet. They were telling me that God
usually calls young men. Well, sometimes you've just got
to wait. It might be 30, it might be 20,
it might be 50, it might be 70. A man might be used one time
to preach one message and that's it. And that's all it needs to
be. But God waited until Moses was
an old man when it was evident that God would have to do it.
Can you imagine seeing this 80-year-old man walking up to the king of
Egypt? Remember, Pharaoh died and another
king had taken over. And here comes Moses, an 80-year-old
man with a staff in his hand. It's evident God's going to have
to do this. He did it. God did it in a time
when He would get the glory of it. When He would get the glory. And this angel, this angel that
appeared to Moses out of the burning bush, is none other than
the Lord Jesus Christ. That's who it is. The Lord Jesus
Christ, Jehovah. You see, Lord, L-O-R-D, capital
L-O-R-D, Jehovah. And we know that Jehovah is the
Lord Jesus Christ. That's who appeared to Moses.
Remember this, God has never appeared or spoken to any man
except through that one mediator, Jesus Christ. Never. It's always through His Son.
God will not speak or be spoken to except through His Son. No man cometh unto the Father,
our Lord said, but by me." Now, verse 3, I want you to notice
how God uses means to get the attention of His people. And here, Moses. And Moses said
he saw this bush burning, and it wasn't being consumed. And he said, I will now turn
aside and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. It's engulfed in flames. Here
is a bush engulfed in flames and Moses says, I've got to turn
aside and see why this bush is not burnt. They're in a desert. This is a very arid land. You've
got to go up like a Roman candle. But here it is, not burnt. Not
burnt. Moses saw this bush burning and
he became very curious. And he went to get a closer look. God will use whatever means He
wills to use to bring us to Himself. Whatever it is, I was not looking
for the gospel the day I heard it. When I heard it, I wasn't
looking for it. Zacchaeus, he was short on purpose. That
man was short on purpose. He wanted to see the Lord. I
have no doubt he was curious about this man, Jesus Christ.
He had heard about him, the miracles. He wanted to see him, see who
he was. But he couldn't. He was too short
a stature. And he couldn't see over the
people. So what did he do? He climbed up in a tree. And
that tree was there on purpose. That tree was grown there on
purpose to hold Zacchaeus in until the Lord passed by. He
never realized that. Never realized it. And God entered this bush, I guess that's
the best way I can say it, and this bush was burning. It was
on fire, but it wasn't being consumed. And it just caught
Moses' attention. He said, I've got to go see this.
I've got to see this, he said. The thing that caught his attention
was, listen, this great sight. I've got to see this. It's a
great sight." He said here. Moses said, I will now turn aside
and see this. Not this weird thing going on. He said, this great sight. This
is a miracle. There's a bush on fire and it's
not being burned. I've got to see this. A bush
burning and not consumed. And I have to admit, That would
be a great sight, wouldn't it? I believe that would get my attention. But God has given us a greater
sight. Now listen. God has given us
a greater sight of a burning bush and not consumed. The man Christ Jesus. God was
in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. And he was not consumed. He was not consumed. Jesus Christ,
being a real man in every way, yet in him dwells all the fullness
of the Godhead, it says, bodily. And he's not burnt. Not consumed. Not consumed. Have you ever really looked at
this man? Have you ever really meditated,
thought upon, studied this man and come away saying, I have
seen a great sight? Have you really? Have you really looked upon the
Lord Jesus Christ and said, I have seen a great sight? in whom dwells all the fullness
of the Godhead, and he is not concerned." We see Calvary. We see a man hanging on a tree, suffering
the wrath of God, under the fire of God's Yet not consumed. It did not consume him. What a miracle. What amazing.
How amazing. Moses said, I have seen a great
sight why the bush is not burnt. You know why it did not burn?
You know why it did not consume the Lord Jesus Christ? Because
he knew no sin. He knew no sin. If he had known
one sin, I mean, just a jot, if it can be said such a thing,
just a jot of a sin, he would have been consumed just like
those in hell. He knew no sin. Perfect sacrifice. And you'll notice here, God did
not appear in a flame of a tall cedar. You know, Boaz
is not going to look upon this tall cedar all aflame. He looked upon a bush. And the
translation for this bush is this, a thorny bush. That's what
it means, a thorny bush. Is there anything that represents
the curse more than a thorny bush? Scripture says Christ came in
the likeness of sinful flesh. There's no beauty that we would
desire Him. He's like a root out of dry ground. But here's a bush. Here's a man
in whom God dwells, who is God. Yet a man, and He's not consumed. Now it says here, the bush burned
with fire. Fire, throughout the Scripture,
symbolizes judgment. The Scripture says, our God is
a consuming fire. That's what it says over in Hebrews
12. The Scripture says that God is of pure eyes and to behold
evil, and He cannot look upon iniquity. He can't do it. God
burned Sodom with fire. God destroyed the prophets of
Baal with fire. God's going to burn this world
up with fire. He's going to burn it up. The
rich man lifted up his eyes in hell, being in torment, and he
flames. We read of the lake of fire. But this bush didn't burn
up. And the reason it didn't, like
I already told you, He knew no sin. There was no sin in him.
No sin. That's why he was not consumed
by the fire of God's wrath. But now listen. Listen. God is in every believer. Do
you believe the gospel? Do you believe the gospel? God
is in you. God is in you. And you're not
consumed. And you're not consumed. And
why is that? Because you are a new creation.
God is in that new creation. And there's no sin in that new
creation. That's why you're not consumed. Therefore, if any man
be in Christ, he is a new creature or creation. Old things are passed away, and
behold, all things are become new. The fullness of God dwelt
in Christ, and he was not consumed. And God in Christ dwells in you,
and you are not consumed. Only God can do that. Only God. Now look what happened when Moses
turned aside to see this great sight. And when the Lord saw
that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the
midst of the bush and said, Moses, Moses! And he said, Here am I.
It's like he said, Speak, Lord, thy servant heareth. But here's
something And I can't explain this, but
the Lord took notice of him. He says, when the Lord saw that
he turned aside, the way it's written, it's as though the Lord
was watching to see what Moses would do. Now, we know that the Lord knew
Moses. We know that the Lord knows all
things. I don't know much, but I know
that the decrees of God are always done, but they do not do away
with human responsibility. He watched to see what Moses
would do. God is sovereign and we are responsible. You say, explain that. I can't.
I can't. It says, And when the Lord saw
that he turned aside to see, then he spoke to him. When Moses
turned aside, when he left what he was doing and came to the
bush that burned, that's when God spoke to him. God is not going to speak to
you or me out wandering around in the woods,
in the marketplace, God will speak to you and me when we turn
aside from all else and turn to Christ where God dwells, in
that burning bush, that man Jesus Christ. When we turn to Him,
when we look to Him, that's when God speaks. That's when we will
hear God speak. If you'll notice here also, God
called out to Moses when he turned to see and he was coming up close
to the bush, this burning bush. God called out to Moses twice.
He said, Moses, Moses, like he did Abraham, Abraham, Abraham.
May not thy hand upon the land. He says here, Moses, Moses, stop. Stop where you are. God's going to teach Moses something
here, just like He's going to teach all His children. And the
first lesson that God teaches His children is this, I am holy. I am holy. Now, you and I can
approach each other because we are, you know, we are men and
women of like passion. But this is the one thing. that
we are going to learn. Everyone whom God saves, he's
going to teach this lesson first. You can't understand the gospel.
I am holy. God is holy. Moses is going to find out that
he is on holy ground, that he's in God's presence. Tell you what, when we find out
and we really understand we're in God's presence, that's when
worship begins. That's when we worship. And when
we come to that realization, God must turn our curiosity into
reverence and worship. This is not for our entertainment.
This is worship. worship. And God said, stop. Moses, stop. Listen, draw not
nigh. Stop where you are. Some things
have got to be taken care of. Put off thy shoes from off thy
feet. For the place whereon thou standest,
now listen, is holy ground. That's the first time in the
Word of God, holy is used. He says to Moses, you are on
holy ground. This is not going to be like
a flippant kind of back and forth. No, Moses, you're in holy ground. Moses is in the presence of God. God tells Moses to stop where
he is. Do not come any closer. Because
this matter of God's holiness, you've got to understand it.
To appreciate the gospel, to understand the gospel, you have
to understand something of God's holiness. Well, why have a gospel? If God is not holy, then why
have a sacrifice? Why have an atonement? Why have
righteousness if God is not holy? But if God's holy, and you see
that, you understand that God is holy, you understand you need
somebody to stand between you and Him, because you're not holy,
and I'm not holy. In Psalm 33, verse 8, let all
the earth fear the Lord. Let all the inhabitants of the
world stand and listen in all of Him. When's the last time you really
stood in awe of God Almighty? That you thought upon Him and
you just awed by it? Let all the earth fear the Lord.
Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. Everything's in His hands. Everything
and everyone. And he said, some things have
got to be put away here. And he says to Moses, draw not
nigh me. Put off your shoes. And I think that this represents
something of sin. Sin represented here by Moses'
shoes. Stinky, dirty shoes. Take them
off. Take them off. Something else has to happen
here. Moses has got to be given an understanding.
He must be enlightened of whose presence he's in. A holy God. Sin's got to be put
away and our understanding's got to be enlightened. The Scripture says sing with
what? Understanding. Sing praises to the Lord with
understanding. We praise Him with understanding.
Preach with understanding. Listen and hear with understanding. If the Lord does not give me
or you understanding, we'll go off into false religion. That's
what will happen. We'll still be religious. I guarantee we'll
still be religious. But we'll be lost. to be lost
like the Israel of old, but Israel over there now. Moses is standing
on holy ground. He's not talking about the dirt
he's standing on that's holy. He's talking about the one whose
presence he's in that's holy. He's holy. If God ever reveals to any of
us Himself, it will first be as holy. Listen to these scriptures. Psalm
99.5, Exalt ye the Lord our God, and worship at His footstool,
for He is holy. And Isaiah 5.16, But the Lord
of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God that is holy
shall be sanctified in righteousness. And 1 Peter 1.15.16, But as he
which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of
conversation, because it is written, Be ye holy, for I am holy." Well,
do we need a mediator? Do we need one to stand between
us and God? I know what I am by nature. I
know who God is by nature. He's holy. I know we don't understand much
about holiness because we were born in sin. I know we can't
grasp that. Fully, not fully. We can some,
but not fully. God is holy. That means this. That means He's perfect. That's
what it means. It means He's perfect. Listen.
God is a perfectionist. God is a perfectionist. It must be what? To be accepted.
Perfect. Perfect. Now, I have to say this. You ever been around somebody
who thinks they're a perfectionist? They drive me nuts. They absolutely
drive me nuts. You know why? Because I'm not.
I'm not a perfectionist. And then you get around somebody
that's a perfectionist, they're going to drive you out of your
mind. This is why men hate God. This is why God drives men out
of their minds. He is a perfectionist and we
are not. He is holy. He's holy. If God's going to save a sinner,
it must be in a way consistent with his nature, his perfection. There's something else that was
revealed in this burning bush. Earth we saw, we could see judgment,
fire, but we could see Christ. We see Christ on Calvary's tree,
not being consumed, but being under the fire of God's wrath.
But you know what else is revealed right here? God's good will. Look over in Deuteronomy 33. This is Moses speaking here in
Deuteronomy 33. Now, let's just go all the way
to verse 16. We don't have time to read all
of this. And he says here, And for the
precious things of the earth and fullness thereof, and for
the goodwill of him that dwelt in the bush. the goodwill of him. Now you
can read that chapter later on. Let the blessing come upon the
head of Joseph and upon the top of the head of him that was separated
from his brethren. But we see here the goodwill
of God revealed toward his people. God made it known how this burning
bush, just as he makes it known out of the gospel of the Lord
Jesus Christ, whom this bush represents. He made it known
that it was his goodwill to save Israel out of Egypt. Isn't that what's going on here?
God is making known to Moses his goodwill toward the children
of Israel, Egypt. I've seen their afflictions.
I've heard their cry. I'm going to bring them out.
It's my goodwill to do this. When we hear the gospel, when
we hear of the Lord Jesus Christ and how God saved sinners in
Christ, when we hear of Him, we are hearing of God's goodwill
to save sinners. That God's going to save the
people. It's His goodwill to do so. And He's going to do it. And then verse 6. Moreover, he
said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac,
and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face, for he
was afraid to look upon God. He reveals himself here to Moses as the God of the covenant, the
God of the covenant. and the God of all grace. Israel
did not deserve what they were about to get. The deliverance
that they were about to receive, they did not deserve it. He's
doing this because of a promise and a covenant that he made with
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. That's why. And God saved sinners. As God saved you, Has God Almighty
truly saved you? Well, He did so not because of
something He saw in you, but because of a covenant that He
made with His Son concerning you. I am the God of Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob. But there's something interesting
here, I'm just going to touch on it. The Lord used this scripture when speaking of the resurrection.
This shows how deep the scriptures are. We would have never picked this
up. But turn over to Matthew chapter 22. In Matthew chapter 22, let me read these scriptures. I'm
going to start reading in verse 23. The same day came to him
the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection. And
they ask him, saying, Master, Moses said, if a man die, having
no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up seed
unto his brother. Now there were with us seven
brethren, and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased,
and having no issue, left his wife unto his brother, likewise
a second also, and a third unto the seventh, and last of all
the woman died also. Therefore in the resurrection,
whose wife shall she be of the seven? For they all had her. Jesus answered and said unto
them, Ye do err not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of
God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given
in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. But as touching
the resurrection of the dead, have you not read that which
was spoken unto you by God, saying," and here's where he said it,
"'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of
Jacob.'" Our Lord, when speaking of the resurrection, speaking
of those who are alive, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, He reaches
back to this verse there in Deuteronomy. God is not the God of the dead,
but of the living. They are alive. Abraham, Isaac,
Jacob, all those saints, all those who have died in the Lord
are alive right now. They are not dead. They are not
dead. And I read that and I thought,
who would have ever reached back and touched that except the Lord? Because He knows from Genesis
to Revelations. You and I interpret Scripture
with Scripture and you're supposed to, but He knows exactly what
they all say, what they all mean. Every time we come to hear the gospel, we need to put off, as much as
possible, the things of this world that come in spirit and through
worship, to hear God speak and realize We are standing on holy
ground. When the gospel is preached,
we are standing on holy ground. When the gospel is preached,
every time Christ is preached, you see that burning bush again. You see that burning bush again.
Every time. Okay, Mike.