When our hearts are heavy, sighing
beneath the weight of sorrow and care, we fly to our Savior
for refuge. At such times, how often have
you opened the book of God and found immediate relief. As soon
as I came into my office this morning, I had a call from my
older sister, Jean. It appears that our Father is
dying, and that in itself is painful.
But the sorrow is increased immeasurably by the fact that I fear he's
dying without Christ. He has all his life long clung
to a refuge of an experience he had as a little boy. And he still clings to it. What a horrid, painful thought. But I knew I had to get those
things out of my mind, at least for today, so I could prepare
to preach to you tonight. So I turned to Exodus chapter
3 and began to read the chapter. I read the same chapter last
night. I had to read it carefully. This morning, it was different.
This morning, if I'm not mistaken, God the Holy Spirit read it to
me. And I knew immediately that in
Him graciously ministering to my soul's needs, I had a message
for you tonight. So I want to just hold your Bibles
open to this third chapter of Exodus. And I want to show you
ten words of comfort from our Savior. Now here, the Spirit
of God gives us a brief account of some of the circumstances
that preceded God's deliverance of the children of Israel from
their captivity and bondage in Egypt. But I remind you again,
let us never forget, these things were written for our learning. that we through patience and
comfort of the scriptures might have hope. They were written
for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come.
Let's begin in verse 7. The Lord God says here in verse
7, I have surely seen the affliction of my people. deprived of liberty, the children
of Israel were slaves to the king in Egypt, along with other
subjects that had been taken captive by him, but theirs was
the worst of bondage because they were slaves to the slaves.
They were compelled to work in the open air beneath the burning
sun of the hottest climate in the world. And they were forced
to make bricks without straw, having to walk great distances
every day just to gather the stubble necessary to make the
bricks. And their work was performed under the vigilant eye of cruel
taskmasters who constantly upbraided them and beat them for the least
infraction or even supposed infraction of duty. They had for their food
Nothing but the leeks and onions that grew almost like wild weeds
in Egypt, and the sheep that they were able to raise. And
painful and distressing as those things were, those were the smallest
of their miseries. While the fields resounded with
the echo of their cries day after day, their huts and hamlets at
night were just as bad and worse because they're isolated in their
homes by night after night, they poured out their lamentations
to one another because their sons were dragged from the arms
of their mothers and drowned lest they should increase in
number. degraded and oppressed. They've been in bondage for 400
years. Who can imagine the anguish they
felt? We can't begin to understand
their sorrows. To them, the morning sun arose
without help or hope, and the evening sun yielded no comfort. The beauties of new life budding
every spring gave nothing to charm them, and the bounties
of harvest in the fall only reminded them of their emptiness. Even
the ordinary charms of domestic life. Who can imagine anything
more delightful to a family than the expectation of a newborn
child? I can still remember the excitement
the anticipation. For the children of Israel, it
was only the expectation of misery. A child, if it's a boy, will
be immediately snatched away and drowned. Everything to them,
everything, not one thing here and one thing there, everything
to them was misery, grief, and sorrow. Though they knew it not,
and would not have believed it if they had heard it. The Lord
God says, I have surely seen the affliction of my people.
In their great sorrow, they had forgotten God, but they were
not forgotten of God. For wise and gracious reasons,
he delayed showing himself to them. He delayed intervening
on their behalf, he delayed relieving them of their affliction and
sorrow, and he did it for 400 years. Yet he was not indifferent
to their suffering. He saw their affliction and heard
their cry. His eye was upon them incessantly. His ear constantly opened to
their sobbing hearts. Every tear they shed was observed
by Him. Every groan recorded in His books. Those words of our Savior. And
it is our Savior who is here speaking to Moses. I have surely
seen the affliction of my people might be read like this. In seeing,
I have seen the affliction of my people." Indicating more than
just his omniscience. He's not saying, because I am
the omniscient God, I see. But in seeing, I see. The words express a clear, distinct,
full sight of their affliction. His sympathy toward them in their
trouble, and an affectionate concern for them. suggesting
a fixed determination to deliver them. He thoroughly observed
their affliction and was moved by what he saw. In all their
affliction, he says, he was afflicted. In all their affliction, he was
afflicted. Almighty God was bent upon delivering
those with whom he was afflicted. I've said all that, child of
God, because I want you and me to remember our God sees us. You remember what Hagar cried
when she was cast out from Sarah and Abraham with her son, and
the Lord provided for them in the midst of the desert when
they thought death was at hand? She said, Thou God seest me. He sees you. He sees you perfectly. He sees you where you are. He
sees you constantly. And He sees you, my brother,
my sister, with the eye of perfect love. No matter how things may
appear. no matter how they may feel,
with the eye of perfect love bent upon doing you good. Within
thy circling power I stand. On every side I find thy hand. Awake, asleep, at home, abroad,
I am surrounded still with God." Look at verse 7 again. The Lord
says, heard their cry. What an indescribable blessing.
When we can't put our cries into words, our Savior hears the groans
of our hearts. The time of affliction is the
time for supplication. The time of need is the time
for prayer. Our extremity is God's opportunity
to show himself gracious. And the God of glory hears the
cries of our hearts. Turn to Psalm 18. Let me show
you this. Hold your hands here next to
us. Chapter 3. Turn to Psalm 18. The doors of mercy are always
wide open to needy souls. The King of Heaven says to you
and me, let me hear thy voice. Now look here in Psalm 18, verse
6. The psalmist says, in my distress
I called upon the Lord and cried unto my God. And he heard my
voice out of his temple. And my cry came before him, even
into his ears." I've often said I rather doubt
we ever pray until we are in desperate need. Sad, but truth about us is often
sad. We say prayers and we go through
the motions of praying and repeat desires, but I don't know that we ever
pray until we are utterly helpless, with desperate need before God
Almighty. Prayer is not eloquence, but
earnestness. It's not defining our helplessness
to God, but feeling it before him. It's the cry of faith to
the ear of mercy. And by the merit and efficacy
of Christ's precious blood, the prayers of God's saints pierces
the heart of God himself. more surely than the desperate
plaintive cry of a helpless infant child pierces the heart of its
mother. Look again at verse 7. The Lord says, I know their sorrows. I try to govern my tongue When
I'm speaking to folks who are heavy heart, I have a dear friend in Alabama
whose young daughter, fairly young adult lady, been sick for
a long time, just found out she had breast cancer, had surgery
yesterday. And I try not to say what we
foolishly say. Meet somebody at the cemetery
or at the funeral home, Just lost a husband or wife and you
say, I know what you're going through. Will you hear me? Even if you've been there, you
don't know what they're going through. You don't know what they're going
through. You don't have a clue. You don't have a clue. The fact
is, the most tender feelings of the most sympathetic human
heart can never touch those of another. It can't be. But our blessed Savior, the Prince
of Sufferers, He who led the way in the path of sorrow, declares,
I know their sorrows. He knoweth our frame and remembers
that we are dust. He is touched with the feeling
of our infirmities. And there are no exceptions.
No exceptions. When crushing sorrow lies like
ice on your heart, and when the dearest earthly friend cannot
begin to enter into the grief that you feel, Christ can and
does. He who once bore my sins and
carried my sorrows is touched with that which touches me. His
tender eyes, like mine, were once dim with weeping. He says,
I know their sorrows. Yes, he may hide his face, causing
it to appear that he's forsaken us and forgotten us, causing
us to cry like David did. Is his mercy clean, gone forever? Hath God forgotten to be gracious? Hath he in anger shut up his
tender mercies? Even then, he's bending over
us, stooping from heaven in the tenderest
love imaginable. He often allows our needs to
be brought to utter extremity, desperation, so that He may reveal
the more fully His superabounding, boundless, infinite love for
us. Our Savior takes great care to
comfort his people. He says to his preachers, Comfort
ye, comfort ye my people, saith the Lord. He's put our sins in
a bag. Job put it like this, my transgressions
is sealed up in a bag, and thou sewest up mine iniquity. As in ancient times the man died
at sea, they would put him into a bag, tie it together, put weights
in it, and drop it into the sea. So the Lord Jesus Christ, by
His precious sin-atoning blood, has taken our sins and cast them
into the depths of the sea, never to be remembered against us.
And God our Savior has written a book for our names. The psalmist
said, In thy book all my members were written. In the book of
life of the Lamb, He didn't just write our names. in the book
of life of the Lamb is the record of divine election and predestination
in all the purpose of God for all time for all His people. Sealed up and fixed because of
His tender love. Return to the Psalms again. Psalm
56. Let me show you something else. Psalm 56, verse 8. thou tellest my wonderings, put
thou my fears into thy bottle. Are they not in thy book? When I cry unto thee, then shall
mine enemies turn back. This I know, for God is for me."
The Lord God keeps our tears in a bottle. I read somewhere years ago, it
was a custom among the Egyptians, and I'm sure this is what David
refers to here. It was a custom among the Egyptians
as the mourners came by, they would take a small cloth or a
sponge and blot the tears from their eyes and squeeze them into
a small vial. and put it in the tomb with the
person for whom they went. Even so, the Lord God, our Heavenly
Father, our Almighty Savior, our Holy Comforter, tenderly
cares for us. We are the very apple of His
eye. and lays up, as it were, our
tears in a bottle, in His bottle, displaying, for God is for me. I can't imagine anything being
more comfortable in this world of sin, sorrow,
and death. The Lord, our God, has put my
sins in a bag and buried them. He's written my name in the book
and he put my tears in a bottle just to show me he cares. John Trapp said, that is a sweet
support to my sinking soul. God knows all. You fathers, mothers, How often
does a child, especially a small child, come to you with some
complaint, some sorrow, something causing pain, and your sweetest,
most tender words of comfort, I know, I know, I know. My daughter's full grown, got
her own children. And if she hears me say concerning anything,
I know that means, honey, you don't have to worry about another
thing. I understand and I'll take care of it. I'll take care
of it. My Savior knows. That should be enough. I am a
pilgrim and a stranger. Rough and stormy is my road. often in the midst of danger,
but it leads me to my God. Clouds and darkness oft distress
me. Great and many are my foes. Anxious
cares and thoughts oppress me, but my Heavenly Father knows.
Oh, how sweet is this assurance. Amidst the conflict and the strife,
all those sorrows past endurance, follow me throughout my life. Look at verse 8, Exodus 3. Our Savior says, and I am come
down to deliver them. He who sees our affliction, hears
our cries, and knows our sorrows, rises from his throne, not to
command legions of angels to come to our help, but rather
that he himself may fly to our relief. So it was with the Incarnation. He came into this world, God,
assuming our nature, the Word made flesh, that He might redeem
and deliver and save His people from their sins. He comes in
saving grace and the mighty operations of His grace to deliver us from
the death incurred by our Father's fall, to deliver us from the
sin that plagues and condemns us, and in His good providence,
He comes to deliver. Again and again and again. Glory to God for this precious
record of His power and goodness. Clouds and darkness are round
about Him. But righteousness and judgment
are the habitation of His throne. Let's look at the Psalms again.
Psalm 98. The Psalms are so precious to
us because here we're allowed to go with a man after God's
own heart into his closet and pour out to God with the psalmist expressions of anguish and lamentation
and fear that we would not dare put into words but that we feel
deep in our souls in times of sorrow. And then join with that
same man after God's own heart in celebrating God's praise for
his deliverance. Look at Psalm 98. Oh, sing unto
the Lord a new song. For he hath done marvelous things.
His right hand and his holy arm hath gotten him the victory.
The Lord hath made known his salvation. His righteousness
hath he openly showed in the sight of the heathen. He hath
remembered his mercy. and His truth toward the house
of Israel, all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation
of our God. Oh, make a joyful noise unto
the Lord, all the earth. Make a loud noise and rejoice
and sing praise. Sing unto the Lord with the heart,
with the heart and with the voice of a psalm, with trumpets and
the sound of cornet. Make a joyful noise before the
Lord the King. All right, now. Let's turn back
to Exodus 3 again. Here's the fifth word of comfort.
In verse 12, our Savior declares, Certainly, certainly, what a
word, what a word, certainly, certainly, surely, verily, I
will be with thee to encourage you. to help you, to protect
you, to sustain you, to strengthen you, and to bless you. His word is, fear thou not, for
I am with thee. Be not dismayed, I am thy God. I will strengthen thee, yea,
I will help thee, yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand
of my righteousness. He says, when thou passest through
the waters, not if, but when, and you will, I will be with thee. And through
the raging rivers, they shall not overflow thee. When thou
walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned, neither
shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the Lord thy God. The Holy One of Israel is our
Savior. He says to us, I will never leave
thee, nor forsake thee. And that's His promise to every
believing sinner. I will never leave thee, nor
forsake thee. It is given to us that we may,
as Isaiah puts it, suck and be satisfied with the breast of
her consolation, that ye may milk out and be delighted with
the abundance of her glory. Look at verse 12 again, the last
line. Our Savior declares Ye shall serve God upon this mountain. Upon this mountain. It's fulfilled
literally for the children of Israel. When they came out of
Egypt, God brought them to that mountain, Horeb, Mount Sinai.
And He gave the law. And when He gave His law, an
altar was erected and they worshipped and served God upon that mountain
with thanksgiving. And so it shall be with you,
my brother and my sister." Our mountains of sorrow, trouble,
and adversity sometimes rise before us so high, you say, I
just can't see past that huge, dark mountain. Everything is
darkness and cloudiness and heaviness. Hang on. Before long, you're
going to stand on top of the mountain and worship God. Whatever it is. Look at verse
14. We have the most powerful incentive
possible to believe all this. He who made the promise says,
I am that I am. Now, there have been books written
about that, and I'll have more to say about it, Lord willing,
in a few weeks. This is God's name, our Savior's name. He is the eternal, self-existent,
self-sufficient God, the being of beings. He comprehends the
past, the present, and the future. I don't mean he merely knows
the past, the present, and the future. I mean he comprehends,
he encompasses, he contains the past, the present, and the future
all at once in his holy being. And yet, there's more. This name
by which our God and Savior reveals himself. I am that I am. It means
not only I am what I am at present, but I am what I have been, and
what I shall be, and shall be what I am. In a word, he is saying,
I am the invariable, unchanging, immutable God you can trust. Nothing's going to change. What
I am, I have been and will be. And what I have said shall be
accomplished, for I am that I am. What I have promised shall be
done. I am what I am. And so he declares
to us the basis upon which faith can and must rest before him. His holy name. All that He is. All His character. All His being. All His glory. All His grace. All His power. All His heart. Rest my soul. He is my God. Look at verse 17. I will bring you up out of the
affliction. He purposed it, he promised it,
and he'll do it. And when he does, he will bring
you into a land flowing with milk and honey. He squeezes milk and honey out
of the hard, flinty rock of adversity. And doesn't just squeeze it out
in drops, but makes it flow like a mighty rushing river into your
soul. So much so that the hard rock
from which the honey and the milk come is soon forgotten. And all you remember is the honey
and the milk. Skip down to verse 21. God promises that he would give his people
favor even among the Egyptians. And it says, ye shall not go
out empty. Now let's look at two or three
passages. Turn to 2 Corinthians 5, 2 Corinthians 4. You remember how on that night
when the Egyptians shoved Israel out of Egypt. The Israelites
fled. They fled from Pharaoh and his
army. But the Egyptians said, get out of the land. We don't
want you here anymore. And as they did, they said, here,
take our silver and our gold and our pots and our pans. Take
everything and get out of here. Just get out. And so the Israelites
left Egypt with everything they needed, not only with which to
worship and serve God, but with which to live in the wilderness
to which they were going. Their affliction, and their bondage,
and their heartache, and their trouble, and their labor in Egypt
for 400 years, in which they had received no wages except
their tears, are now well paid, and well paid with interest.
And so it shall be with you, my brother, my sister, in all
your afflictions. 2 Corinthians 4 verse 17. Our light affliction Which is just for 400 years. What? But for a moment? Compared with eternity. But for
a moment. Light? Light affliction? This thing that's tearing my
guts out! Light! Compared with the glory awaiting
us. Light as a feather. Our light
of fiction, which is but for a moment, watch this, worketh,
is continually working for us a far more exceeding and eternal
weight of glory. That means when we get to glory,
it's going to be more glorious because of this. Now I don't
have any idea how to explain that, but I know that's what
it means. Let me show you. James said, Blessed is the man
that endureth temptation, trial, affliction. For when he is proved,
when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life which the Lord
has promised to every one of his children. The Lord has promised
to them that love him. 1 Peter 1, verse 3. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ. which according to his abundant
mercy hath begotten us again into a lively hope by the resurrection
of Jesus Christ from the dead. To an inheritance incorruptible
and undefiled that fainteth not away, reserved in heaven for
you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation,
ready to be revealed at the last hour. Now read on. Wherein ye
greatly rejoice, Though now for a season, if need be, you're
in happiness. If you're in happiness, and you
belong to God, it's just for a brief season, and there's a
needs before it. In happiness through manifold
temptations. Now watch this. That's a trial
of your faith. That didn't say your faith, Lindsay. It said the trial of your faith.
Being more precious than of gold that perisheth. Precious faith, yes. But the
trial? Yes. More precious than gold
that perisheth, though it be tried with fire? might be found
unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ,
whom having not seen ye love, in whom though now ye see him
not yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full
of glory, receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation
of your souls. In a word, all things are for
your sakes, that the abundant grace, through the thanksgiving
of many, may redound to the glory of God. For all things are yours. The world, life, death, things
present, things to come, all are yours. Not just for you,
yours. And ye are Christ, and Christ
is God. And one more thing, back in Exodus
chapter 3, verse 22. And ye shall spoil the Egyptians. It's written over and over in
the prophets. that God will cause His people
in captivity and bondage who have been spoiled by their enemies
to spoil them that spoiled you. To take reward and bounty and
riches and glory and honor from the very spoiling of their souls
they shall spoil every foe. Every foe. from Satan to the
least imp of a man in this world, to the sorrows of their inward
sin. Everything that gives your heart
pain in this world shall, through thanksgiving to God, redound
to the glory of God forever. And we shall bring all the riches,
all the treasures, all the bounty of all the nations into the heavenly
Jerusalem when our God makes all things new and lay everything
at His feet. And everything, even the most
bitter pill, the most painful experience, the greatest crushing of your
heart, everything will add to your happiness forever and God's
glory forever. And ye shall spoil the Egyptians. Amen.