I want to begin the message by
sharing with you a portion of an email that I received
the other day. And it was a blessing to me. It was a blessing to me. I hear people, God's people,
including myself, spend far too much time complaining. about
our lot in life. And I told this person I so appreciated
their email to me because it gave God praise. Gave God praise. Let me just share a portion of
it with you. I won't call their name. Don't
want to embarrass them. But they wrote, not many people
have the opportunity at work to be able to see outside and
hear the birds chirping. I look at them as a reminder
that they do not have to work or think for themselves or have
a worry in this world for their lives are in God's hands just
as our own and mine are. And they remind me all is well. And then we'll have a shower
And as soon as it passes, I'm reminded again by them that all
is still well. What great peace can come from
just the chirping of the birds because I know he sent every
one of them to me as a reminder, as a reminder of this. All is
still well with my soul. When I read that, concerning
the chirping of birds, I was reminded of an old believer's comment concerning
this, God's glorious creation. He said, I find it difficult
to stay inside when I hear my Heavenly Father speaking outside. And he was referring to a thunderstorm. Are you that way? I am, just
the other day. The other day, was it Friday,
perhaps yesterday, several times during the day a thunderstorm
would come up suddenly and I would hear it and I'd say, oh I can't
sit at this desk, I gotta go out, gotta go out and see the
hand of my great God as he speaks through his creation. The psalmist
was much of the same mind, I think, when he wrote these words, the
voice of the Lord is upon the waters, the God of glory thunderous,
the Lord is upon many waters, the voice of the Lord is powerful,
the voice of the Lord is full of majesty. I prepare this message,
as I've already mentioned, with the prayer that God would use
it to refresh our hearts with the wonder, the wonder of His
grace and the marvel of His mercy. Look again here in Exodus 15
and verse 11 is our text. Verse 11. Among the song that
they sang or included in it was this question. Can you just visualize
the children of Israel as they stand on the other side of the
Red Sea, that sea that they thought there was no way they were going
to cross, who not long before were crying to Moses, aha, we
knew that we would perish, we were better off in Egypt. They
didn't think so when they felt the whip of the Tasmaster, masters
upon their back, and God in his grace and mercy and might and
power made a way, made a way. And now they stand and they look
back And Pharaoh and his mighty men and his captains and his
horses and his chariots are all floating in the Red Sea. And included in their song is
this, Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods? Who is
like unto thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? That's our text. The title of
the message is, Our Wonder-Working God, our wonder working God. And first of all remember that
this song was in response to their final, their final and
complete deliverance from Pharaoh. They would never be enslaved
in Egypt again. What did Paul say? Sin shall not have dominion over
you. Because you're not under the
law, you're under grace. Under grace. Oh, then, grace
must be reigning grace, if that be true. Grace must be abounding
grace. It must be grace greater than
all my sin. It must be. It has to be if it
can do that. If it will not allow sin to have
dominion over me, oh, what mighty grace it is. And it is exactly
that. In Exodus again, chapter 30,
thus the Lord saved Israel that day. This is how it happened. You remember Walter Cronkite? Most of us, I think, can. You
remember him? He was a very popular news broadcaster
in his day. And every evening, my father
would watch that channel. We only got two, so there wasn't
a whole lot to choose from. But he would watch the evening
news. We didn't bother him then, we better not. He didn't disturb
me, but I remember Cronkite would close each broadcast with these
words, and that's the way it is. Remember? That's the way
it is, and then whatever date it was, that's the way it is
on this particular date. Moses says, after this great
miracle of crossing the Red Sea, that's the way it was. Thus,
it happened this way. It was the Lord's doing. It was the Lord's doing, just
as we read throughout the Word of God. This great work of salvation,
God's purpose to save, the redemption of Jesus Christ for His people,
the calling and the raising from dead sinners to life by God's
mighty Spirit, They're preservation in grace. They're being brought
to glory. Any place you place your finger
upon those glorious truths, we hear this, salvation is of the
Lord. Thus, the Lord saved Israel that
day. It's His work alone. And it's
no wonder, it's only right that sinners that have experienced
His mighty grace respond as the psalmist did. Not unto us, O
Lord, not unto us. Man, I tell you what, it's tough
not to pitch tent right there, John. Not unto us. I mean, I declare, sad to say,
all around us people are saying the very opposite unto us. Stand
up, sinner, and be counted. Stand up. Do something for God. Take the first step. Open your
heart. Won't you give Jesus a chance?
Woo! I'm biting my tongue. No. David said, not unto us, not
unto us, O Lord, not unto us, he repeats, but unto thy name
give glory, for thy mercy and thy truth's sake. Thus God saved
Israel that day, and thus God saves his own by his mighty work. It's not surprising that we read
this, or rather referring to this, Again in chapter 14, verse
31, as a response of that great work that God did for the children
of Israel, they feared the Lord. They feared the Lord. That is,
they stood in wide-eyed wonder of such a God as that. Does that
not ring a bell? Does that not ring a bell? Did
you not do the same? Did you not do the same? When
God Almighty had mercy upon you, when He got you lost, oh, and
sin wasn't any longer something vague and distinct or indistinct
and something other people did, but you learned, God taught you
that you're the sinner. You didn't point at anybody else
then and say, well, I'm just as good as he is. If he's going
to heaven, so am I. Oh, no, no, no. God shut your
mouth. God shut your mouth. He brought you down. And the
only thing you could say, I'm the sinner. Have mercy on me. And lo and behold, miracle of
miracles, God in wondrous grace had mercy on you. Had mercy on
you. revealed his son to you, and
you beheld the Lamb of God. And the burden of your soul rolled
away, rolled away. And you remember that? You remember
those first days after that glorious experience of God's grace? Weeks
and months you just stood in wide-eyed wonder. And all you
could think about, oh my soul, he had mercy on me. You feared the Lord. You stood
in holy awe of him, as they did this day at the Red Sea. And
as I say that, the question arises to me, and this wasn't in my
notes, but I'm asking myself and I'm asking you, how long's
it been since you did that? How long's it been? since Larry Criss stood in wide-eyed
wonder at the God of all grace and think, Lord, why me? Why me? Wide-eyed wonder that
Jesus Christ loved me and gave himself for me. This is a picture, as we said,
of a much greater work God's great salvation. Turn, if you
will, to Romans chapter 9. Romans chapter 9. As I've told
you before, when so-called soul winners are dragging somebody
down the Romans road, they always take a detour here in Romans
9 because it speaks of sovereign grace. It says plainly it's not
up to you. It's God's work, all of it. But
here in Romans chapter 9, look what Paul says, beginning at
verse 1. I say the truth in Christ, I
lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost,
that I have a great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart.
Is this the same man that speaks about God's electing love? Oh
yes. But any, any The concept of God's
sovereign mercy that lessens a burden for souls is wrong. Paul had both, did he not? Verse
3, For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ, for
my brethren, my kinsmen, according to the flesh, who are Israelites,
to whom pertaineth the adoption and the glory and the covenants
and the giving of the law and the service of God and the promises,
whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh
Christ came, who is over all. God bless forever. Amen." And
then Paul seems to put up a caution light. Don't misunderstand my
burden, he says. Don't misunderstand what I just
wrote. Don't you think for a minute.
And then he goes on in verse 6, not as though the word of
God had taken none effect. For they are not all Israel,
which are of Israel. Just because they are a Jew doesn't
make them a child of God. Neither because they are the
seed of Abraham are they all children, but in Isaac, the son
of promise. That son that was a miracle of
God's grace and power. Abraham wasn't responsible for
that, neither was Sarah. They were old, too old. to have
a child, but God interposed on their behalf. That's a picture
of a believer. They're not born after the flesh,
nor the will of man, but by the will of God, per se. That is,
they which are the children of the flesh, these are not the
children of God, like Ishmael. He was a product of the flesh.
But the children of the promise, Isaac, they're accounted for
the seed. That required the marriage. For
this is the word of promise, at this time will I come, I'll
come, I'll come. And Sarah shall have a son. A believer is born, not by the
will of the flesh, but by the will of God. If all that is so,
in Paul down in verse 16, says, this must be the case. If what he just wrote was so,
then this is too. So then, we must conclude in
light of what was written, so then, it is not of him that willeth,
nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. That being the case, Paul goes
on with that same train of thought, and in chapter 11 he says, so
then, So then, all Israel shall be saved. All God's true Israel
shall be saved. All God's elect shall be saved. Why? Because it's not of him
that willeth, but of God that showeth mercy. The very word
Exodus, as you know, means a departure. You remember when our Lord was
on the Mount of Transfiguration? And Moses and Elijah appeared
to him. They talked about his decease,
his departure, that he should accomplish at Jerusalem. It means going out. How do you
like that? How do you like that? Exodus,
going out. Leaving Egypt, Pharaoh, this
world, the devil, going out. Children of God, thank God Thank
God that this world is not our home. Let the world have the
world. It's the best they'll ever have. Thank God this world
is not our home as the old hymn says. We're just passing through. The Lord said you're in the world,
yes, but you're not of the world. I've chosen you out of the world. Soon what was said of Israel
concerning their enemies or to Israel Concerning their enemies,
the Egyptians, shall be said of us and our enemies, that is
this world, this flesh, and this body of sin, we'll see them again
no more forever. Look again over in chapter 14,
verse 13. And Moses said unto the people,
fear ye not, stand still. That's the hardest thing in the
world for us to do, isn't it? just to stand still, just to
wait on God, just to trust God. Can't do it, can't do it. God's
taken too long. I think I can get a better handle
on this than God. I've got to take this into my
own hands and every time I've ever done that, I've made a mess. Someone very wisely said, if
you don't wait on God, you'll wish you hadn't. You'd wish you
hadn't. Fear ye not, verse 13, stand
still and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will show
to you today. For the Egyptians whom ye see
today, ye shall see them again no more for ever. Glorious, glorious truth. No
more for ever. Let me share this with you. I
was blessed reading the dying words of various believers at
various times. Some of them were very well known,
some weren't. Let me share one or two with
you. A man by the name of Alexander Henderson, he said, I'm near
the end of my race, hastening home, And there was never a schoolboy
more desirous to have a play than I am to lead this world. My soul. That's what a good hope
through grace does, doesn't it? Hall. I suppose that this was
probably Joseph Hall. He said, if I die, the world
will miss me but little because it has plenty of better men and
I shall not miss it. Because it has so much evil and
I shall have so much happiness. Absent from the body and present
with the Lord. The enemies that you see today,
you shall see them again no more forever. Brothers and sisters,
I ask you again, is not our salvation a great wonder? A great wonder
It required this. It required that one that made
the world and everything in it. It required that one who in the
beginning said let there be light and light was. The literal translation
if I'm not mistaken is light be and light was. That great
God who set the stars in their course And as we mentioned a
moment ago, what a wonder God's creation is. But we don't stop
at the creation and worship it. We don't stop and hug trees and
kiss frogs, oh no. We bow before the creator and
say, how great thou art. We see the hand of him who did
it all. And lo and behold, think about
that. And that same great God who created
everything that is, And without whom nothing was created that
is created, that great God was made flesh. God Almighty was made flesh. That baby in that stinking stable
that night looked just like any other dark-skinned Jewish baby
boy, but that was God Almighty. And he didn't quit being God
Almighty when he became a man. My soul, what a wonder that is. People speak about the seven
wonders of the world. I can't name them. Can you look? I might name one or two, but
I'll tell you there's nothing that compares to this wonder. Because the children were flesh
and blood, He, Christ, likewise took part of the same. He didn't
take hold, or rather He took hold of the seed of Abraham. He was made like unto His brethren,
what a wonder that is. Talk about a wonder. That one
who was called the mighty God and the everlasting Father, the
Prince of Peace, wonderful, who thought it not robbery to be
equal with God, not something that he was taking to himself
undeservingly, oh no, equal with the Father, was made flesh and
dwelt among us. My soul, what a wonder that is."
Luther told Erasmus, a champion of man's free will in Luther's
day, which Luther, of course, opposed. He told Erasmus one
day, your thoughts of God are just too human. Just too human. As the psalmist said, thou thoughtest
that I was altogether such a one as thyself. You remember when the Queen of
Sheba, yet in her country, heard about Solomon. We read in 1 Kings
chapter 10, when the Queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of
Solomon and the temple that he had built, there was no more
spirit in her. She'd heard of him in her own
country, of his kingdom, and his riches, and his glory, and
his power. And she said, that's just too
good to be true. That's an exaggeration. They're making that up. I'm just
going to go find out for myself. So she did. She did. And when
she did, she said, there's no spirit left in me. I thought it was an exaggeration,
but now that I've seen With my own eyes, I know that the half
was not told me. Is that not a picture of a sinner? Once God opens their eyes to
behold the Lamb of God, what a sight! What a sight! And every sinner that God is
blessed to see that sight will never get over it. They can't
find words to express it. Just like the Queen of Sheba,
they say, oh, the half was not told me. He's the great God and Savior. Christ made like his brethren,
but never ceased to be God. This same Jesus, we're told in
Acts chapter 1, as the disciples looked in wide-eyed wonder, was
taken up by God, by the Father, because he had accomplished all
that God sent him into this world to do. So God took him up. And the disciples just stood
there. I imagine they all had their mouths open. And the angel
said, Okay, that's enough. This same Jesus whom you see
taken up shall so come in like manner. This same Jesus. How high was he taken? Well,
he's a good man. Oh, higher than that. He was
a good teacher. Oh, higher than that. He was
a great prophet. Oh, higher than that. He was
taken up to be at the right hand of God Almighty on high. He was
taken so high, Paul tells us in Ephesians 1, that there is
nothing or no one that's not under his feet. Hallelujah. What a Savior. He was taken up
so high, God says, at the name of my Son, Jesus Christ, every
knee's gonna bow, and every tongue's gonna confess that He's the Lord. He's God Almighty. Who is a God? Like unto our God. Remember in Mark chapter 7, the Lord had preached that day,
had taught, had performed miracle after miracle. And at the close
of the day, the people just seemed to be like the Queen of Sheba,
astonished beyond measure, nearly speechless. And all they could
utter was, he's done all things well. He's done all things well. He always does. Everything that
he undertook to do, he did well, and he did perfectly well, perfectly
well. He always pleased the Father. I referred to this article, or
rather Henry's article, in mine today, in today's bulletin. I just made reference to it.
But let me share a portion of it with you. The wonder of it
all, by Brother Henry Mahan. He said, I can appreciate the
ability of the learned botanist to give me the scientific names
of the rose and the origin of it and the various types of roses,
how and where they grow and the number of petals and thorns and
leaves to expect on a genuine rose, but too often those who
become over-entangled in these things somehow lose the most
important thing, the beauty and the fragrance of the rose. And
Henry said, I hope in our preaching and teaching and witnessing concerning
the gospel of our dear Savior, we do not become more concerned
with the system than the sweetness, with the mechanics rather than
the mercy, with the right terminology rather than the right spirit
and attitude. He, the Lord Jesus Christ, is
my rose of Sharon, which brightens my life and sends his sweet fragrance
through my soul. One can preach about Christ and
not preach Christ, just as one can know how God saves sinners
and not be a saved sinner. Oh, the wonder of it all, just
to think that Christ loves me. Oh, what a glorious, glorious
wonder that is. What a wonder this is, that God
made Him Christ. who knew no sin, to be sin, to
be sin. Can you explain that? John, I
cannot explain that. I just bow, adore, and wonder. Made Him sin for us, that we
might be made the very righteousness of God in Him. That He, our Lord
Jesus Christ, entered in one time into the holy place, having
obtained eternal redemption for us. My soul, what wonder. And when I think that God, His
Son not sparing, sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in. That on the cross, my burden
gladly bearing, He bled and died to take away my sin. And just as the children of Israel
felt an obligation to sing a song of thankful praise to God at
the Red Sea, so should we. As the hymn says, then, then,
sings my soul, my Savior God to thee, how great thou art,
how great thou art. Who is a God like unto our God? In a moment, we'll observe the
Lord's suffering. And I pray that he will enable
us to do so with wide-eyed wonder. May we hear those words he spoke
that night when he first instituted it, when he handed the bread
to the disciples after breaking it, and said, this is my body,
which is broken for you. Likewise, he took the cup. Pass
it among yourselves, drink ye from it. For this is my blood
of the New Testament, which is shed for you. For you. Not everybody. For you. Don't cheapen it. Don't cheapen
it. By saying it was shed for people
who go to hell, don't cheapen it. No, this I'm shedding for
you. By my blood, I've atoned for
all your sins." There was a man who lived during
the time that Charles Spurgeon pastored the great Metropolitan
Tabernacle in London. And I think he attended there
as well. He was a editor and a publisher. His name was William Robertson
the Cold. When Spurgeon died on January
the 31st, 1892, shortly after that, this man wrote an article. And he said concerning Spurgeon,
he said, Mr. Spurgeon always made salvation
a wonderful, a supernatural thing, one through battle and agony
and garments rolled in blood. This great and hard-fought one
battle was sure. That is, it did not stand in
the creature. It rested absolutely with God.
It was not a man. nor the will of the flesh. Mr. Spurgeon's hearers had many of
them missed the prizes of life, but God did not choose them for
the reasons that moved man's preference, else their case was
hopeless. Else my case was hopeless. Their election was of grace. And as He chose them, He would
keep them. Many a poor girl with the love of Christ in her heart,
working her fingers to the bone for a penance that just keeps
her alive, with the temptations of the streets around her, listen
with all her soul, once she heard Christ, she will never perish. Many a struggling tradesman tempted
to dishonesty, Many a widow with poverty and loneliness before
her were left it above all and taught to look through and over
the years coming thick with sorrow and conflict and anticipate a
place in the church triumphant." Hallelujah. What a Savior. Who is like unto thee, O Lord,
among the gods, doing wonders. Sinners redeemed with wonder
tale. Christ Jesus has done all things well. By his great sin
atoning blood, believing we have peace with God, that one who
bought us with his blood now reigns on high the Son of God.
Despite our every fear should quell, Christ Jesus has done
all things well. And when to that bright world
I rise, enjoying the anthems of the skies, above the rest
this note shall swell, my Jesus has done all things well. Let me wrap this up by just a
couple of more quotes that I read of believers as they were leaving
this world. John Bunyan. You heard of John
Bunyan. He said, Weep not for me, but
for yourselves. I go to the Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, who no doubt will receive me though a sinner through
the mediation of our Lord Jesus Christ. where I hope we shall
before long meet to sing the new song and remain happy forever
in a world without end. Amen." John Owen, a great theologian,
but he said he would give all of his learning if he could preach
like that Tinker Bunyan did in Bethlehem. John Owen, when he
was dying, said, the long wished for day has come at last. in
which I shall see the glory of Christ in another manner than
I ever have done or was capable of doing in this world. As is often the case, I sing
in the shower. The acoustics in there are just
good. And afterwards, as Robin mentioned
hearing me, I said, how did I sound? And she said, you sounded good.
I said, tell Delilah. I won't try to sing it to you,
but I'll close this message by just reading it. When with holy
choirs we're standing in the presence of the King and our
souls are lost in wonder while the white robed choirs sing,
then we'll praise the name of Jesus with the millions round
the throne, praising for the power that reaches deeper than
the stain has gone. Praise the Lord for full salvation. God still reigns upon the throne. And I know, I know the blood
still reaches deeper, deeper than the stain has gone. Who is a God? likened to our
God, glorious in praises, fearful in holiness, doing wonders. God bless you. It's good to be
back.