It's good to see everyone this
morning. Lindsey, I thoroughly enjoyed that Bible lesson. It
blessed my heart. We was at Brother Bruce Crabtree's
a couple weeks ago, and most of the time, preachers don't
get the privilege to sit and listen to preaching. Most of
the time, they're doing the preaching, and I just thought, again this
morning, sitting there listening to Lindsey, it was such, it really
just blessed my heart. to be able to sit with God's
people and to worship him as we listen to his gospel. What a privilege. You know, we
are blessed people. We are truly blessed. Turn with me in your
Bible this morning to Deuteronomy chapter 32. Deuteronomy 32. So you'll know the context, the
children of Israel. The generation that God had raised
up in the wilderness, the generation that had seen their parents die
in the wilderness, God raised these people up and is getting
ready to take them into Canaan. Some of them had probably, all
they knew was what they had heard from their parents and others
about what God had done to Egypt and how he had brought them out
with a high hand. And Moses is reminding them,
he's instructing them as they get ready to go into Canaan.
God had never forsaken his people. He'd never forsaken his covenant.
And he's gonna take those people in. He's gonna lead them in.
And it says here in verse one of Deuteronomy chapter 32, give
ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak. And hear, O earth, the
words of my mouth, My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech
shall distill as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender
herb and as the showers upon the grass, because I will publish
the name of the Lord. Ascribe ye greatness unto our
God. He is the rock and his work is
perfect. For all his ways are judgment,
a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he. They have
corrupted themselves, their spot is not the spot of his children,
they are perverse and a crooked generation. Do ye thus requite
the Lord of ye foolish people and unwise? Is not he thy father
that hath bought thee and hath he not made thee and established
thee? Remember the days of old, Consider the years of many generations. Ask thy father, he'll show you. Thine elders, they will tell
you. When the Most High divided the
nations, their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam,
he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the
children of Israel. For the Lord's portion is his
people. Jacob does the lot of his inheritance. In verse 10,
he found him in a desert land. In a waste, howling wilderness,
he led him about, and notice that statement, he instructed
him, and he kept him as the apple of his eye. And then he says,
as an eagle, stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young,
spreadeth abroad her wings, she taketh them, she beareth them
on her wings, so the Lord alone did lead them, lead him, and
there was no strange God with him. We're looking primarily
at verses 11 and 12. Here, he says, as an eagle takes
care of her little ones, He gives this as a picture, as an illustration
of how God took care of Israel and how God takes care of his
elect. It's amazing how everything that
God has made, everything that he has created, he has created
in such a way to give him all the glory and all the praise. In some way, illustrates how
he redeemed and how he saves his people. He remembers that
we are but dust. And he uses this picture, and
this is what we want to look at today, is how this eagle takes
care of its young, how God takes care of his people. The eagle
is known for its great strength. Every other bird is compared
to an eagle. Eagle is known for its sight.
They say it can see great distances off. It's known for its swiftness. They say it can probably fly
up to 200 miles an hour. But it's not only known for its
strength, but it's known for its tenderness. Those same talons
that can catch the prey and destroy its enemy is the same talons
that it brings food to his little ones. The eagle cares for, feeds, protects,
and nurtures his young, but as I said here, he instructs them. What's God been doing all these
years? He's been instructing Israel. He's been teaching them. He's teaching them to trust and
rest in him. The psalmist said in Psalm 71,
verse 17, oh God, thou hast taught me from my youth. You know what
it says in the book of John? All God's people shall be taught
of him. He's gonna teach you. He's going
to instruct you. And I like what Lindsay said.
You know how he instructs us? by experience. We go through
these things. As we experience these things,
God teaches us and he instructs us. The first thing he says here
about what does this eagle do for her little ones? The first
thing that it says here in verse 11, the eagle stirs up Her nest. But what is the nest? You know what the nest is. This
is where the little ones are born. This is where they are
laid for a long period of time. This is where they live. The
picture here is, as Lindsay said earlier, where did the children
of Israel, where did they live for 400 and some years? They
lived in the land of Ham. They lived in the land of Egypt. Well, why in the world were they
in Egypt? That's where God put them. No
accident, they were there. God brought Joseph there, and
by bringing Joseph, he brought all Jacob's family, and they
have lived there for 400 and some years. That's where God
put them. What did God do in Egypt? He
raised him up a nation. That's exactly what he did. As
you said, his ways are not our ways, and this is what God did. It said there in verse 10, he
found him, Jacob, in a waste and howling wilderness. Now that's
what Egypt is. That's what the world is. That's
where we lived for years. This is the picture here. They were there for 400 years
in their infant state. But there comes a time when it's
time for them to leave. He didn't leave them there. So
what is he gonna do to bring, you picture this, they're in
this nest, this place of Egypt. How's God gonna bring them out?
He's gonna do something. He's gonna stir up the nest.
When God begins to stir the nest, it's gonna be stirred. It's gonna
be stirred. The word stirred up means to
open the eyes. It means to awaken them up. As
Lindsay Dunn said, I mean, I just couldn't hardly wait for him
to get done because he was just introducing the message. You
know what he said? They had become comfortable in
Egypt. They've lived there for 400 and some years. It's all
they've ever known. And they've been in bondage. You say, why
would anybody want to be in bondage? Ask ourselves. Lost in love, we love bondage.
Why? I don't know. We just do. That's
our depraved nature. But this is where we were at. But he said that those little
ones are the apple of his eye. He's come time for him to bring
them out, and he's going to stir up his nest. How does God stir
up his nest? An eagle, how she stirs up her
nest, you can imagine them little eagles, man, they've probably
been in a nest, they're so warm, and they don't wanna leave. They
would put thorns and things in that nest to make that nest uncomfortable. They're gonna want to leave.
Let me tell you a little secret this morning. God has to make
you want to leave that nest, or you'll never leave it. He
stirs it up. Why wouldn't they be comfortable?
You know where Israel lived in the land of Canaan for those
400 and some years? In Genesis 47.6, the land of
Egypt is before thee, and the best of the land make thy father
and thy brethren to dwell in the land of Goshen, let them
dwell. They dwell in the best land in
all of Egypt. Would you wanna leave? That's where they're at. So what's
God going to do? What did God do to stir up the
nest? Well, the first thing he did,
he raises up a Pharaoh who did not know Joseph. Who raised him
up? God raised him up. Things that
maybe have went on the same for years, everything's just fine,
they showed favoritism to Israel and there's no conflict between
Israel and Egypt, but something happens. In Exodus chapter one,
verse five, and all the souls that came out of the loins of
Jacob were 70 souls. For Joseph was already in Egypt
and Joseph died and all of his brethren and all that generation.
And the children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly
and multiplied and waxed exceedingly great and the land was filled
with them. And now there arose a new king
over Egypt, which knew not Joseph. And he said unto his people,
Behold, the people of the children of Israel were more than mightier
than we. Come on now, let us deal wisely with them, lest they
multiply and it come to pass that when their fall without
any war, they join into our enemies and they fight against us and
get them up out of the land. Therefore, they did set over
them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens, and they
built for Pharaoh treasured cities of Python and Ramesses. You see what happened? He raised
up this man. It says in Romans 9, he raised
him up for this same purpose. You mean God raised that man
up? Oh yeah, he raised him up. You mean God raised up this man
and this man said, okay, here's what we're going to do. We're
going to kill all the baby boys. Now that would stir things up.
They're going to drown them in the Nile River. God says, it's
time for me to bring you out, and the first thing I'm gonna
do is stir up the nest. So what else did he do? He not
only raised up Pharaoh, he sent Moses to him. Moses has been
on the backside of the desert for 40 years, and God brings
Moses, who's a pitcher of the law. When God sends the law,
it serves a purpose. It is to awaken men's conscience
to their need. Here's what Paul said. He said,
I was alive without the law once, but when the commandment came,
sin revived and I died. The law entered that the offense
might abound. You know where Paul was at? Paul
was comfortable in his little nest of religion. He thought
he kept the law, he knew the law in his head, till one day
the law came, and you know what it did? It stirred up his little
nest. God knows exactly how to stir
up your nest. He knows how to get your attention.
Can you see those in Egypt are going, what in the world is going
on? Moses walks in, and he walks
right into Pharaoh, and he said, you let my people go. And things
didn't get better all at once. It seemed to get worse. They
said, here's what we're gonna do. We're not gonna give you
any straw to make bricks. You gotta find your own straw. You see the picture here? What's
happening? God's stirring up the nest. You know, and this is not only
just what happened in Egypt. This happens in the life of every
child of God. This is something that happens
every day because we get comfortable. You remember the early church?
Every one of us would have loved to have been around Jerusalem
when God had just saved 3,000 souls. Nobody would have wanted
to leave, but God's done told them to leave. He said, you're
to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature,
to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the
earth. And they said, no, we won't stay right here. So what
did God do in Acts chapter eight, verse three? And Saul asked for
Saul, he made havoc of the church. Entering into every house and
hailing men and women, committed them to prison. And they that
were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the gospel. Why did they leave? God stirred
up the nest. Here comes Saul, causing havoc. And in Acts 13, when the gospel
is preached, God's people are stirred up. Listen, Acts chapter
13, verse 48. And when the Gentiles heard this,
after the Jews had rejected the gospel, the Gentiles were glad,
and they glorified the word of the Lord, and as many as were
ordained into eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord was
published throughout all the region. But the Jews stirred
up the devout and honorable women and the chief men of the city,
and they raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas and expelled
them out of their coast. But they shook off the dust of
their feet against them, and they came to Iconium." What has
God just done? He stirred up the nest. Our gracious Lord can and does
cause a stir to cause his people to come to himself. If he did not cause a stir, we
never would. We never would. He must do the stirring. He sent
Pharaoh. He raised up Pharaoh. He sent
Moses. Because listen. Turn with me
to Isaiah, I'll show you this. Isaiah chapter 64. Isaiah chapter 64. Verse six, we are
all as an unclean thing And all our righteousnesses are as filthy
rags, and we do all fate as a leaf, and our iniquities like the wind
have taken us away. And look at verse seven, and
there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself
to take hold of thee. For thou hast hid thy face from
us, and hast consumed us because of our iniquities. But now, O
Lord, thou art our father, and we are the clay, and thou art
our potter, and we all are the works of thy hands. He said,
there's none that stirs up himself to call upon him. When he began
to stir things up in Egypt, they began to call on God. He said,
I've heard their cry and I've come down. God must make it,
he makes his people willing in the day of his power. The point
I'm trying to make is if God doesn't do something for you,
you're gonna perish. You will die right where you
are in your unbelief. You may have made a profession
of religion and you find comfort in that. They may be your nest.
People have a lot of different nests and that's where you're
gonna rest till God does something. And when he does something, He
does it to bring those people out of that nest. Whatever God purposes to do,
He does in His own time and in His own way. This world is not our home. We're
just a sojourner in this place. God in his grace must arouse
us or we will perish in our sin. The spirit of God must convict
us of our sin. Why in the world would we want
to live in this godforsaken place? Why would we? Why would we? So he says he stirreth up the
nest. Well then what does he do? He
says, as the eagle fluttereth over her young. All this is in grace. He kills
and then he makes a lie. I can see that. Here's how I
picture it in my mind. I picture this, these nests are
huge. There's these little eagles in the nest and then she lights
down on the side of that nest and she begins to spread her
wings. She's getting them now to look
away from the thorns to look to her. There's no salvation in just
looking to your sin. It's looking to Christ. The word fluttereth means to
brood, to hover over. It's the same word that's used
in Genesis chapter one verse two, listen. And the earth was
or became without form and void and darkness was upon the face
of the deep. And the spirit of God moved upon
the face of the water. She's brooding over her young. It's life. That's love. Why did he send,
why did he raise up Pharaoh? Why did he send the law? All
these things serve their purpose to bring life. The law was our
schoolmaster unto Christ. This book of Deuteronomy. There's
only a couple more chapters. Then right after we see where
Moses speaks to the people here in this chapter, God takes him
out of the way. God removes the law. The law
served its purpose. The law can't take you in. The
law can't take you into Canaan. Only Joshua, our Christ, can.
But he moved, fluttereth. When the Spirit of God moved
over the face of the deep, it brought forth life. We are by nature without form
and void till God does something. Till God does something. And
when he begins to do something, it's love. It's love. Let me read to you what Mr. Pink
said. This blessed my heart. He said, out of the chaos was
brought forth the cosmos, which signifies order, arrangement,
and beauty. God has put everything just exactly
how he wanted to make it. Out of the emptiness, the cosmos,
I mean the chaos, he has brought forth order. Out of the water emerged the
earth. A scene of desolation, darkness,
and death was transformed into one of light, life, and fertility,
so that at the end, all was pronounced, it's all very good. Who made it very good? How did
it become to be very good? I'll tell you how, God moved.
Apart from Christ, everything is out of order. God's not the
author of confusion. God's the author of order. Everything
just moves. I'm amazed at the detail of everything. Now let me read
you this. He said, the earth no doubt,
moved in its orbit and rotated upon its axis, but its motions
could not mend it. It had to be moved upon by the
Spirit of God, otherwise it would have forever remained without
form and void. And that describes us. We would have stayed just exactly
like we were. The eagle fluttereth over her
young ones. She could have left them to die
right in the nest. Sandy, she was going through
some stuff a while back in a building or somewhere, and she found this
little bird's nest, and the eggs were still in it. God could have left you that
way. He could have left you to perish, but he didn't. He didn't. They get their life, those little
eagles from their mother. We must have life imparted unto
us. This is a picture of the new
birth. She comes to her young on purpose and she flutters her
wings. They are totally dependent upon
her. We are totally dependent upon
God for everything. And he begins to move. In John 3, 8, the wind blows
where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thou rub, but thou
canst not tell whence it cometh, and whether it goeth. So is every
one that is born of the Spirit. Then she spreads abroad her wings. This represents his strength. Listen, in Matthew 23, 37, O
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets and stonest
them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered
thy children together, even as a hen gathers her chickens under
her wings, and you would not. She spreads her wings over her
little ones. God revealed, and you think about
this, What God did for Israel, this is how he saves his elect.
This is how he saves his chosen people. He must reveal his strength. He revealed his power. You think
when God began to bring all those plagues upon Egypt, what's he's
doing? He's displaying his power. I've raised up Pharaoh for this
same purpose, to display my power in thee. Exodus 3, verse 20,
I will stretch out my hand and smite Egypt with all my wonders. Exodus 7, 5, and the Egyptians
shall know that I am the Lord when I stretch forth my hand
upon Egypt. When it was all said and done,
they knew who did it. There's no question who did it. And those same wings that can
smite the enemy can take care of those young. When he stretches forth his wings,
that eagle, it is to protect his people. As Lindsay said earlier,
when God led the children of Israel, to the Red Sea. That seems like the wrong way,
but this is the way God brought them. And he shut them in, the
Red Sea was in front of them, the mountains were on either
side of them, and Pharaoh is behind them. But who's between
them and Pharaoh? He is. All they see is his wrath, but
they're on the other side, they're protected. He protected them,
and that's what he's showing them, and that's what he's showing
us. God must do all this in the salvation
of a sinner. He must make the nest uncomfortable. He must reveal his might and
his power. The gospel is the power of God
unto salvation. And then it says he takes them.
He stirs up the nest, he flutters over them, and he takes them,
that word taketh means to draw, to fetch or to seize. Think with me. Can those eagles
fly? But they gotta leave the nest.
How they gonna leave? He gonna just say, okay, just
do the best you can now. That's what men say about salvation.
God's done his part, now he's leaving it up to you. And you
see the illustration. You say, that would have been
foolish. Well, what if they just kicked him out of the nest? Had
everyone perished? In essence, he said, I've come
to take you out. He taketh them, and in the next
point, he bears them on his wings. He said in Exodus 19 verse four,
you have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, how I bear you
on eagles' wings and brought you unto myself. Most birds carry their little
ones in their talons, in their claws, but not the eagles. They put them on their wings.
You think about this. How are you gonna get to them
little ones? You've got to go through her first. Before the enemy can get to you,
they've got to go through him first. And he puts them on his wings.
He puts us on, he takes us with his arms and he carries us. He carries us. He took us on his wings. He bears
all of our weight. And by his mighty arm, he's brought
us to himself. He not only took them out, he
not only brought us out, but what's he gonna do? He must teach us to trust him. You know what that eagle does
to those little ones? She's gonna teach them to fly. And you know how she'll do that?
They say she will take them and she will deliberately drop them
off her wings. Can you imagine how they feel?
Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever felt like God was
dropping you? You ever felt like you were falling and he's not
gonna catch me this time? And then she'd swoop down, she'd
just get them. She's teaching them to trust Him. She's teaching
them to trust her. God must teach us to trust Him. That's why He did in the wilderness,
He instructed them. And He has to keep instructing
us cause we just can't seem to get it, I can't. He will teach us who He is and
who we are. Here's what he says in Isaiah
chapter 40. Now listen, Isaiah chapter 40 verse 28. Hast thou
not known? Hast thou not heard? That the
everlasting God, the Lord, the creator of the ends of the earth,
he fainteth not, neither is weary. There is no searching of his
understanding. He giveth power to the faint,
and to them that have no might, he increaseth strength. Even
the youth shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall
utterly fall. But they that wait upon the Lord
shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as
eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and
not faint. He's teaching them to fly. He's teaching us to trust Him. Olds will wait upon the Lord
to see our need of Him, to commit unto Him everything. He says
in Colossians chapter three, if you then be risen with Christ,
seek those things which are above, for Christ sitteth on the right
hand of God. Set your affections on things above, not on the things
of the earth, for you are dead and your life is hid with Christ
and God. You know in the book of Revelation,
when it speaks about the woman bringing forth the man-child
and the serpent, Satan is standing right there to devour. It says
in Revelation chapter 12, verse 14, and to the woman, which is
a picture of the church, We're given two wings of a great eagle
that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place where she is nourished
for a time and times and half a time from the face of the serpent. He gives us the grace to trust
him. He brings us out. He won't leave
us in our comfort. He won't leave us where we are.
He comes and he stirs up the nest awakens us to our need of
him, convicts us of our sin, shows us our inability, he puts
us on his, with his strong arm, he brings us out and he teaches
us by his grace to trust him. Oh, for grace to trust him more.
We must rest upon him for everything. For his tenderness, his kindness,
his love, his compassion. If he left us alone, we would
die right where we are at. God have mercy upon us. Amen.