If you turn again in your Bibles
please to Exodus in chapter 13, this account of the Lord's bringing
his people forth out of Egypt. Moses leads the people as the
Lord leads forth Moses and the children of Israel out of Egypt
with the Egyptians not far behind in pursuit. And we read at the
end of chapter 13 in verses 21 and 22, how the Lord would lead
the people. how he would lead them forth
in the wilderness. It says in verse 21, and the
Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead
them the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them
light, to go by day and night. He took not away the pillar of
the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night from before
the people. Yes, the Lord went before them
by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them the way, and by night
in a pillar of fire to give them light, to go by day and night. We read of pillars in the scriptures
in a number of different places, different descriptions of different
pillars. Sometimes pillars were made by
man, and sometimes they were of God. Pillars in the scriptures often
refer to those things which are built up as memorials, or they
refer to the meeting place of God and man. Often men would
build pillars out of rocks to represent that place where they
have met with God. And here in our passage, we read
of that pillar which God made. that pillar in which God dwelt,
by which he led his people, in which he was present with his
people, through which he met with his people. There is a pillar
of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. And the Lord went before them
by day in the pillar of cloud and by night in the pillar of
fire. In the New Testament we read
of comparisons with pillars, we read in 1 Timothy 3 and verse
15 that the church is described, the house of God is described
as the pillar and ground of the truth. And in Revelation 10 we
read of the angel who had pillars of fire Now the church is the pillar
and ground of the truth because again, the church, the house
of God is that place where God meets and dwells in the midst
of his people. God is present in the pillar
and he's present in these two pillars, these two descriptions
of a pillar in which we read of in Exodus 13 and 14. pillar of cloud and the pillar
of fire. The one to make God's presence
evident before the people in the day and to protect the people
from the heat of the day and the other to show forth God's
light and his presence in the darkness of the night and to
provide warmth in the cold of the night. Two pillars described,
but in reality they are both the same pillar in which God
dwells, represented in different views. By day it appeared as
a pillar of cloud, and by night it appeared as a pillar of fire.
This pillar is of course a figure of Christ, a picture of Christ
in the midst of his people. and always leads forth his people. He is he by which his people
are led. He is the light unto their path.
He is their protection, their guide, their warmth, their heat,
their sight. He is always with them. He is
never taken away. As God said of this pillar, he
took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar
of fire by night from before the people. All their journey
out of Egypt until they came to the promised land of Canaan,
all their wanderings through the wilderness, where'er they
went, the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire was always
with them. These people were led. God didn't simply tell them
to leave Egypt and leave them to their own devices. He didn't
simply give them some instruction and then left it up to them to
do the walking and the thinking and the guiding. He didn't leave
them on their own. He led them, He was always with
them. They always had that evident
representation of His presence with them by the pillar of cloud
and of fire. If ever they felt that the Lord
had departed from them or had forgotten them, they need only
look to the pillar in their midst to know that He was still in
their midst, He was still present with them and He still led them. He never left them. He never
forgot them. He was always with them. Always
with them. Whether in the day when they
could see, or whether in the dark when they could see not,
He was always with them. There was a pillar of cloud and
a pillar of fire. By day or by night, in light
or in darkness, in the warmth or in the cold, when the way
was easy to see by sight, or when the way was dark and uncertain,
when the way was easy or when the way was hard, when the way
was straight or when the way was crooked, up or downhill,
whatever the journey, whatever the state, whatever the circumstance,
The Lord led forth his people. The Lord was always with his
people. The Lord was always present with his people. He led the way. He gave them
light. He protected them, he watched
over them. He gave them warmth and heat.
He led them forth. He led them forth out of Egypt. out of Egypt. When the Lord meets
with a people and when he leads his people, he does not leave
them where they were. He leads them forth on a journey
and that journey brings them out from one place and it takes
them to another place. God doesn't keep his people in
the world, he doesn't leave his people in Egypt. He came to his
people who were in bondage in Egypt and he delivered them by
his mighty hand and in so doing this is a figure of what he does
for all his people throughout all time. He delivered them God
saves a people. He came to save a people. Not simply to be with a people
but to deliver a people. God sent his only begotten son
into the darkness and the captivity of this world. He sent his son
into the Egypt, the bondage of this world, unto a people who
were captive, unto a people who were ensnared by sin, who were
captive, and he came to deliver them. Where are you this day? Are you in Egypt? Are you in
Canaan? Are you in a wilderness? You may say I haven't a clue
what you're talking about. I'm in Honiton. I'm in England. I'm in America. What are you
talking about? I'm talking about your state.
Where is your soul? Where is your soul this day? Egypt is where your soul is by
nature. In the world. Lost and captive. Sinful and bound by sin. We're weak and we are lost. We're
in need of deliverance. We're born sinners and there's
nothing we can do to deliver ourselves from our sins. We need
one to bring us forth. And if your heart is still captivated
by sin this day, if you're still bound by your sin, if your thoughts
are far off from God, if God and his ways are something that
you give little thought to, then you're in Egypt, like these Israelites
were. And your soul is still in bondage. And if you are left in Egypt,
then when your life comes to a close, you will perish in bondage. You need to be delivered. Here
was a people of old who needed to be delivered. A people to
whom God sent a deliverer. He sent Moses unto his people
who had been taught their captivity. A people who had come to know
that they were in bondage. A people who had been put to
hard labour in Egypt. A people who knew that they were
trapped and who cried out unto the Lord to deliver them. who
cried out, who groaned under the bondage that they were under.
What of you? You may be in Egypt, you may
not know it, but perhaps you're in Egypt and you've begun to
realize your state. Perhaps you've begun to know
that you are a sinner. Perhaps you've begun to know
that you need to escape. Perhaps you've begun to know
that you stand before God accountable and that when you die you will
have to stand before Him and give an answer for your deeds.
Perhaps you have begun to feel some conviction in your soul
for your sins and your transgressions. You know you've not lived before
God as you should. Perhaps you've begun to cry out.
Well God heard the cries of His people and He hears the cries
of all those who begin to cry unto Him, who begin to call out
from bondage, from captivity to be delivered, who begin to
cry out to God, Lord help me, help me I know I'm sinful but
I can't do anything to make myself better, help me Lord. And when a people cry out truly
to their God, he delivers. He sent Moses to this people.
And he sent a strong deliverance. He brought this people out. He
led them forth out of Egypt, this mighty nation, this powerful
nation that had this people under their grip. Yet the Lord sent
plagues, He did what was necessary to remove the power of Egypt
over the Israelites. To take away their power over
this people. To unlock the chains of this
people. To bring them forth, He brought
them forth powerfully. He delivered them, He saved them. And He led them forth. Yes, this
was a people led forth. because this was a people who
had been delivered out of bondage and God sends deliverance to
his people to all those who are brought to call out for salvation,
to all those who are taught their need of salvation. He sends deliverance
by His Son, by that One whom He sent to His people, of whom
Moses here is a figure. So that One who came to where
that people were, in Egypt, in bondage, in corruption, in their
sin, in the darkness and the coldness of this world. He sent
his son, a deliverer unto such a people to bring them forth,
to save them. Those who were dead by nature,
dead in trespasses and sins, those like you and me, rebels,
hard-hearted, cold, wayward, selfish, lost, weak, frail, helpless. Those captive, those in bondage,
he sent one, a strong deliverer, a mighty saviour, one who was
able to take away the chains of his people. one who is able
to save to the uttermost, one who can save even you, one who
can deliver the hardest of hearts, one who can break the hardest
of hearts, one who can warm the coldest of hearts, one who can
take away all the bonds, all the captivity, he came to save. Christ Jesus came into the world
to save sinners. He came to deliver. He came to
deliver from all that was set against them. He came to take
his people's sins away. He came to take the judgment
due upon those sins away from them. He came to take the judgment
upon himself. His people, you and I, if we're
brought to believe on Him, were under the judgment of God. Their
sins had multiplied above their heads. The wrath of God sounded
out from heaven against their sins. And if that's where you
are this day, it sounds out this day against your sins. And it sounds out a verdict according
to strict and upright justice. Guilty. And it demands a sentence
to be exacted. A sentence of death. Of death. But there's one that came to
take that sentence upon himself. That one is the Lord Jesus Christ.
He came a deliverer. He came to die, to take the judgment
upon himself. And when he took the judgment,
like that Passover lamb that the Israelites were told to sacrifice
before they left Egypt, the lamb was slain and the blood was sprinkled
upon the door. When Christ came to take the
judgment for his people, when he died, when his blood was shed,
and if his blood is sprinkled above the door of the house of
where his people dwell, that people will be spared and will
be led forth, will be delivered. Did he come for you? Was he the lamb slain for you? Was He your Passover Lamb? Can you say with a certainty
that Christ has come and has been slain on your behalf and
His blood sounds out, not guilty for you? Does it sound out in the courts
of heaven before Almighty God, not guilty? Does it sound out
in your soul, to your conscience? Not guilty. Have you been delivered? For Christ came to deliver and
he delivered by shedding his blood to wash away the sins of
his own. Do you know that your sins have
been washed away? Have you been forgiven? Have
you been led forth? Have you been led forth? Have
you been brought out of Egypt, out of captivity, out of bondage? Have the shackles of your sin
and the judgment of God against your sin, have these shackles
been taken away? Have the chains dropped from
off your arms? Has the Lord come to you and
said come forth, come out, come out of Egypt? come unto a land
flowing with milk and honey. I will lead you there. I will bring you through the
wilderness unto a land flowing with milk and honey. Have you
heard of Christ and his deliverance in the gospel? He came to deliver
as he come to you, as he led you forth. These people were
led out of Egypt, they were led forth and as they were led there
went before them a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of
fire by night and the Lord went before them in the pillar of
cloud and the pillar of fire. Yes he led his people and he
led them forth out of Egypt. He delivered them, he delivered
them from their sins and he brought them out by his strong hand,
by a mighty salvation. and He led them all their pilgrimage,
all their journey unto Canaan. He was always with them. He never
left them. He didn't bring them out and
then let them go on their own. When God comes and saves a person,
He doesn't leave you to yourself. If you've believed on Jesus Christ,
he has washed your sins away, if you're journeying through
this world on your way in on a pilgrimage to that promised
land unto glory, I can tell you with a certainty that there is
ever before you a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire Never doubt
the presence of the Lord in the pillar of cloud and the pillar
of fire. Believer you are not on your
own, you are not alone. The Lord didn't do a mighty work
to then depart from his people, he leads them, he's always with
them, he's always in their camp, he's always in the midst He watches
over them each and every day. In the day, He is a pillar of
cloud unto them. He provides protection for them
from the heat and the burden of the day. In Psalm 105, we
read a reference back to this account of the people's deliverance
from Egypt. We read a reference to the pillars
where it says, Egypt was glad when they departed for the fear
of them fell upon them. And the Lord spread a cloud for
a covering and fire to give light in the night. The Lord spread
a cloud for a covering. This pillar of cloud in the day
not only pointed the way to the people and not only gave them
that by which they followed as they journeyed through the wilderness,
but it acted as a covering from the heat of the sun, the heat
of the midday sun in the wilderness, in the desert. It acted as protection,
no matter what the elements might bring upon the people, the Lord
watched over them. And you may as you journey believer
through this world, You may feel the opposition that comes upon
you. You may feel the heat of the
day that comes upon you. The persecution, the trials and
the temptations. You may sometimes be so hard
pressed, so broken, so cast down that you wonder how you might
cope. And yet, Every day there is a
pillar of cloud, a covering of cloud which watches over you.
The Lord giveth grace sufficient for the day. There is no burden,
no trial, no difficulty that might come your way that he does
not give grace sufficient for the day. He's always there. The cloud will protect you from
the heat. No trial will come your way which
will destroy you. You may come close to feeling
like you can't cope anymore. You may come close to feeling
like you'll be destroyed, like you won't endure to the end.
The trials may be almost past your bearing. But the fact is,
the Lord never tries his people beyond what he gives them strength
to cope with. and what he gives them grace
to cope with. They'll never be destroyed. They'll be cast down,
they'll be broken, they'll be tried, they'll be tempted, but
they'll never ever be destroyed. In the night, so I want to draw
your attention to especially the pillar is a pillar of fire,
a pillar of fire. In the darkness and the coldness
of night, They had this wonderful pillar of fire in which the Lord
dwelt, which led them forth in the way. Now in the night, it's
that time when it is the hardest to journey. In the day when we
can see, we have some strength and ability of our own. We think
that we can manage by ourselves somewhat. For in the night, when
it's dark, we stumble about as blind men. We cannot see, we
don't know the way. It's cold and it's dark. And yet in the darkness, in the
darkness of this world, amongst the people who by nature are
dark and are blind and have cold hearts the Lord is present amongst
his people in a pillar of fire a pillar of fire now fire has
various qualities about it various aspects about it which bring
benefits to the people that are led by it. Firstly, there's light. This fire gave them light. As
we read, the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud
to lead them the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to
give them light. To give them light. They could
see in the night for the pillar of fire lit up the way. This was a people that could
journey by night as well as by day. The Egyptians may pursue
them. Their enemies may pursue them. But they have something their
enemies do not. They have a pillar of fire by
night. This is a people that can even journey in the night
for the pillar of fire is a light unto them. Man cannot see a thing
in the darkness by nature. Man is blind in the darkness
of his sin. He doesn't understand the first
things about life, about eternity, about God. He can't comprehend
a thing. All his conclusions, all his
deliberations, all his vaunted wisdom are utter foolishness. He's blind. Everything he concludes
is false. He looks at the world around
him and sees things and makes conclusions from them, but they're
all erroneous. He stumbles about in the darkness. But those whom the Lord leads,
His people, those whom He opens their eyes, those who have been
delivered from Egypt through the death of His Son, allowed
and slain for His people, those whom He leads, have a pillar
of fire by night. They can see in the darkness. They have light. There is light
that has come into their presence. There is light that has come
in the darkness. The people that sat in darkness
have seen a great light. There's light. There's light
that leads them. There's light in their hearts.
And that light is made known unto them in the gospel, as Christ
is revealed unto them in the gospel, as he who leads them
forth in the pillar of fire. Secondly, the pillar of fire
brings heat, brings heat in the coldness and the darkness of
the night. Nighttime and darkness is very,
very cold, especially in the desert. And our hearts by nature
are not only dark, but they are cold, stone cold. We have no love for God, no love
for Christ, no love for his gospel, no love for the truth. But when
there's a pillar of fire given to us, this pillar melts even
the coldest of hearts. How cold is your heart? How cold
is your heart? We wax and we wane. One day we
burn strongly, the next day we're cold. By ourselves we are weak. By ourselves we have no strength. left to ourselves, our hearts,
even those who are believers, our hearts grow cold again. Yet
God sends a pillar of fire by night in the midst of his people
to warm their hearts as they lift up their gaze unto the pillar,
as they lift up their gaze unto Christ, as they lift up their
gaze unto the gospel. When Christ is made known in
the pillar of fire in the gospel, He warms the coldest of hearts. How cold is your heart? Oh, look unto Christ. Look unto
Christ. Look unto the pillar, the pillar
of fire, that light in the darkness, that warmth in the cold. Thirdly, fire speaks of judgment. of judgment. There was a pillar
of fire here, we read of fire in various other places in the
scriptures. When God sent judgment on Sodom
and Gomorrah he poured down fire from heaven and he consumed the
city in fire. When the wickedness of the people
came before him his hand went forth in judgment This was a
people that lived generation after generation, sinking lower
and lower into filth and depravity and sin. And they said like the
generations do in our day, oh the days go on, nothing ever
changes. Where's God? Eat, drink and be
merry. Let's live for the moment. There's
nothing gonna stop us living our lives. Let's do as we like. But the clock ticked away on
Sodom and Gomorrah until the day came when God said enough
and the judgment poured down upon it, the fires of his wrath
poured down upon it. And you, if you are still in
Egypt in your soul this day, you, if you still live for your
selfish gain, still thinking that nothing will change, that
each day will come just as the last day, that you are in charge,
that you can do as you like, that God will have nothing to
do with you. Be warned that the days tick
down, the hourglass pours away, the sand in the hourglass pours
down until the time comes when God says enough. and the fires
of his judgment pour down upon your head. Baia speaks of judgment
and there's a judgment to come upon all the wicked in this world
who know not Christ and his salvation. There's a judgment to come which
will surely come and the fires will devour everyone who has
not Christ as a covering. But here's a people who were
delivered from such a judgment. Here's a people who had blood
above their doors. Here's a people who had a Passover
lamb sacrificed on their behalf. Here's a people who could look
at a pillar of fire and know that the fires of God's wrath
had been extinguished on their behalf upon a sacrifice sacrificed
on their behalf. And if you have a pillar of fire
leading you through this world on your journey to a land of
promise, then that pillar of fire is a constant reminder that
God's wrath and God's judgment has been extinguished on your
behalf as it poured out upon his son upon the tree when God
slew him. for the sins of his own. Yes,
did fire rain down upon Christ for you? Was he burnt up a sacrifice
on the tree for you? This pillar of fire constantly
reminds us in the gospel, as we look to Christ as he leads
us forth, we're constantly reminded that he took the fires of God's
wrath, that we may never have to bear them. He's always there
before his people, always leading them forth by the way. And he
stands forth as a pillar of fire to say unto them, I've borne
the fire. I've quenched it for you. There's
nothing more to be poured out upon you. You're no longer guilty. You're perfect and righteous
in me. You are forgiven. Lastly about this pillar. This
pillar was given to the Israelites. It led the Israelites. It was
in the midst of the Israelites and it was in the midst of none
other nation. The Israelites had the Lord's
presence amongst them in this pillar of cloud and pillar of
fire but the Egyptians could not see it. When the Egyptians
came upon them. When they met up with them at
the Red Sea. When they thought they'd cornered
them. Before the Israelites was the Red Sea, behind them was
the Egyptians. When the Egyptians thought they'd
got them. We read in chapter 14 and verse 19, the angel of
the Lord which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went
behind them. And the pillar of the cloud went
from before their face and stood behind them. And it came between
the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. And it was
a cloud and darkness to them. And it gave light by night to
these, so that the one came not near the other. overnight. This pillar divided the Israelites
from the Egyptians. All the Egyptians could see was
cloud and darkness, they knew nothing of the presence of God.
But the Israelites were led forth by this pillar, they had its
fire in the night, they had its warmth and its light Egyptians
could see nothing, they were in darkness but the Lord's people
could see everything because of the pillar in their midst.
How distinctive, how particular this people are. They're God's
people, they're those whom he came to save, whom he came to
deliver. God came to save a people, Christ
died for his own, not for all the world, not for the Egyptians,
but for a people whom God chose, whom he was given before the
foundations of the world. A people, a people for whom he
died individually, particularly. He took away the sins of this
one. He took away the sins of that
one. He took away the sins of another. He died particularly. If you know God's love for you,
if you know Christ's love for you, if His blood was shed for
you, if His blood has been daubed upon your door, then it was done
for you in particular. God chose you, God purposed to
save you from all eternity. You were redeemed in particular,
you're a particular object of his love. Christ died for his
own, a particular people and that people and that people alone
will always know his presence with them. Where'er they may
go on their journey through this world, he's always there in a
pillar of fire. He never leaves them. He's always
with this people. Only they know his presence. Only they know his guidance.
Only they know his deliverance and his salvation. But should
they know it, they'll never lose it. for His love is set upon
them from all eternity and will be on them until all eternity. He loves His own from everlasting. He loves His own. Is He with
you? Is He with you in the darkness
of this world? In the coldness of this world?
We meet here on a snowy day, a frozen day. We're very aware of how cold
it can be. We're very aware of how difficult
things can get. And the journey of God's people
through this world can be hard and difficult. It can be cold. There can be trials. But no matter
where they go and where they're brought, there's always, always,
always a pillar of fire. that gives them light and heat
and guidance by night, and the pillar of cloud in the day. And
always in the midst of that pillar, the Lord is present. He took
not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire
by night from before the people. It was always with them. And
he never leaves his people whom he loves. For whom he loves he
keeps. He keeps to the very end. His
love never wanes. It never ever wanes. It never
ever grows cold. That people, you, if you're his,
you may doubt. Your love for him may grow cold. You may fear, you may wonder
like the Israelites of old. They doubted, they grumbled,
they complained. Although the pillar was always
there, although they could look and see the pillar, they still
doubted. They were fickle, they were weak. And we're no stronger. Our love
wanes, our love grows cold. But his love for us, my friend,
never, ever, ever grows cold. He never, ever leaves us. He never does. He never leaves
us. He's always there. He never leaves
us nor forsakes us. His love never, ever, ever diminishes. Those whom he loves, he loves
to the end, to the end. You can rest in it, you can rest
in it, you can lay everything upon it, you can trust it, you
can fall in his arms, whatever may come your way. He will always
be there. He will always love you no matter
how you may fall, no matter what you may do. He will always love
you. He will always keep you. He will
always be with you. Those whom He loves. He loves
to the end and He will bring them safely through, through
the wilderness, through the trials, through the journey, into a land
flowing with milk and honey, into everlasting glory, where
there's no more tears, where there's no more crying, where
there's no more trials, where there's no more sin, where there's
just everlasting glory and where all the praise will redound.
and to him who brought the people forth with a strong deliverance,
and to him who was in the midst of the pillar of cloud and the
pillar of fire. Yes, he took not away the pillar
of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night from before
the people. The pillar of fire was always
there. Look, my friend, to the pillar of fire, for he will never
ever leave you, if you are his. He will never ever leave his
home. Praise God. Amen.