I want you to turn with me just
for the moment to the book of Exodus, chapter 5. In Exodus,
the fifth chapter, I'm going to read verses 1 and 2. Now,
here's my subject this morning while you're turning to the book
of Exodus, chapter 5, verse 1 and 2. I'll be speaking on this subject,
how can a man find God? How can a man find God? It says in Exodus 5, and Moses
and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, thus saith the Lord God of Israel,
let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness. And Pharaoh said, who is the
Lord? Who is the Lord that I should
obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord. Neither
will I let Israel go. Who is the Lord?" Now, perhaps
Pharaoh was speaking in total honesty. He was a great man,
as pharaohs and worldly leaders go. He had a lot of power. He
was the king over perhaps the richest nation in the world.
And when Moses came to him and said, Thus saith the Lord God
of Israel, Let my people go, Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord? that Pharaoh should obey his
voice. I know not the Lord. Who is this
Lord? That's what I want to consider
this morning. That's the question I want to deal with. Who is the
Lord God? Who is the Lord God, and how
does a man find God? Now, you may think it's strange,
but I'm going to ask you to turn to the book of Psalm chapter
19. Now, many preachers, when they
want to talk about who God is and how does a man find God,
they ask you to go to the book of John or some other New Testament
book or perhaps one of the four Gospels. But I'm asking you to
go to Psalm 19. Now, this psalm was written by
David. David knew the Lord. In fact,
twice, the Lord called David a man after my own heart. A man after my own heart. David,
a man after God's own heart, knew God. He knew God, and I'm
certain he knew God. He wrote the hymn book of the
church. He wrote the whole book of Psalms, with the exception
of just a few. And here in the book of Psalms, you have the
twofold answer to that question. How does a man find God? How
does a man find God? Who is the Lord God? And how
does a man find God? And here in Psalm 19, you have
a two-fold answer to that question. There are two books in which
you can find a revelation of the living God, and they're given
here in Psalm 19. Will you turn to Psalm 19? There
are two books. First of all, there's the book
of creation. There's the book of nature. David
wrote in Psalm 19, verse 1, the heavens declare the glory of
God. That's how a man can know God.
He can know God by observing the heavens, by observing the
things that are made, by observing nature, by observing creation. That's exactly what it says.
We can find God in the book of creation. God reveals himself
in the book of creation. And the second answer is this,
in Psalm 19, verse 7, David said, the word of the Lord, the word
of the Lord is perfect converting the soul. There you have a two-fold
answer to that question. How does a man find God? An honest,
sincere person. And perhaps Pharaoh was sincere. Perhaps he was totally honest.
Who is the Lord? Who is the Lord? I know not the
Lord. How does a man find God? How does a man find the true
and living God? I'm not just talking about finding
a God. There are gods everywhere. They're God's many and Lord's
many. I'm talking about the living God. Our Lord Jesus Christ said
in John 17, eternal life is to know the true and living God.
And then David said, as the thirsty deer panteth for the water brook,
so panteth my soul for thee, the living God. How does a man
find the living God? Well, let's look. Let's look
first of all at the book of creation. Read Psalm 19 there, verse 1.
The heavens, the universe, the heaven of heavens, declare. They declare. They speak. The
heavens speak. Did you ever hear the heavens
speak? Well, the heavens do speak. And the heavens have a message.
And they declare something. What do the heavens declare?
They declare the glory of God. The heavens literally declare
the glory of God. The heavens declare the glory
of His power. the glory of his wisdom, the
glory of his majesty, and the glory of his greatness. The firmament,
the firmament showeth his handiwork. What's the firmament? Well, the
firmament's the sky, the sun, the moon, the stars, the rain,
the snow, the seasons. All the marvels of creation declare
the glory of God, reveal the glory of God. These things didn't
just happen. These things, these precision
Precision made and precision directed. Stars and moons and
planets and the whole universe. Out beyond the light years and
many galaxies. These things did not just happen,
they were created by an all-wise, omnipotent God of heaven and
earth. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
And these heavens and heaven of heavens declare, sing forth
the praises of Him who made them. and declare the glory of him
who made them, so that we're without excuse. We have a message
from the heavens. How can a man know God? The heavens
declare God and his glory. Paul said in Romans 1, 19 and
20, that which may be known of God is manifest to all men, for
God has showed it to them. For the invisible things from
the creation of the world are clearly seen. being understood
by the things that are made, even God's eternal power and
Godhead, so that we are without excuse. The heavens declare the
glory of God. And we are accountable and responsible
for what the heavens declare. That's what he's saying right
here. Acts 14, 17. Listen to this verse. Listen
carefully. The Lord hath not left himself without a witness.
Acts 14, 17. in that he did good and gave
us rain from heaven, and he gave us fruitful seasons, and he filled
our hearts with food and gladness, and we're responsible. In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God, and all things were made by him, and without him
was not anything made that was made. The heavens declare the
glory, the power, the majesty, the omnipotence, the wisdom,
They declare the wisdom of God. Look at verse 2, Psalm 19. Day
unto day, day unto day uttereth speech. In other words, throughout
the day, as the sun shines, and as the rain falls, and as the
flowers grow, and as the trees grow, and the fruits and the
vegetables come forth, day after day, God speaks. And in the night
season, he showeth knowledge. Nighttime, as the world rests,
And the moon shines in a reflected glory of the sun, and the stars
give forth their light. God speaks of himself even in
the nighttime. Listen to this. There is no speech
or language. How many speeches or languages
do you suppose are on this earth? Two or three thousand? I'm talking
about different languages, you know, French and Spanish and
German and Russian and English and all. But wait a minute, I'm
talking about all the languages and speeches of the tribes. in
India, and tribes in Africa, and the tribes in different countries
of the world, all these different tribes in Alaska, the Eskimos,
and the Indians in America. What about all these languages
and all these different tongues and dialects that are spoken
all over the world, thousands of them probably? It says there's
no speech or language where the voice of creation is not heard. You see that right there in Psalm
19, verse 3? There is no speech. The heavens
declare the glory of God. The firmament showeth his handiwork. Day unto day and night unto night
it showeth knowledge, and there's no speech, there's no tribe,
there's no nation, there's no kindred, there's no tongue unto
heaven where creation does not declare the glory of God. The
voice of creation is gone throughout all the earth to every human
being on the earth so that they're without excuse. How does a man
find God? God's everywhere in the things
God has made. Glorify God. I sing the mighty
power of God that made the mountains rise, that spread the flowing
seas abroad and built the lofty skies. I sing the wisdom that
ordained the sun to rule the day. The moon shines full at
his command and all the stars obey. I sing the goodness of
the Lord. I sing the goodness of God that
filled the earth with food. He formed the creature by his
word and then pronounced them good. Lord, thy wonders are displayed
wherever I turn my eye. If I survey the ground upon which
I walk or gaze up into the sky, there's not a plant or a flower
below but makes thy glory known, and clouds arise and tempests
blow by orders from your sovereign throne. Look at verse 4. In the
heavens God has made a tabernacle for the sun. The sun is the center
of the universe. He said as a bridegroom goeth
forth, as a strong man goeth forth, nothing is hid from the
heat thereof and from the light of the sun. The sun is the center
of the universe. It reflects the power and the
wisdom of Almighty God. And let me tell you something.
As men behold these things that are made, these things that declare
the glory of God, as men behold the heavens and the earth and
all that God has created in his bountiful mercy and in his infinite
wisdom, my friend, listen to me, I wouldn't offend you, but
only a fool, only a fool could possibly say there is no God. Only a fool. Why, the book of
creation reveals to any honest heart the reality of God. These
things did not just happen. They didn't just come into being.
In Him we live and move and have our being, and by Him all things
consist and are held together. The heavens and the firmament
and the earth and creation shows His power and wisdom and His
majesty and His greatness. So how can a man find God? First,
in the book of creation, look around you and you'll be amazed
at the wonders of God's creation. David even talked about his own
body and said how wonderfully I'm made, how wonderfully I'm
put together. But there are questions about
God which cannot be answered by creation. There are questions
about God that the heavens and the firmament and the earth cannot
deal with and cannot answer. For example, try these. What
is man that thou art mindful of him? You won't find the answer
to that in creation or by gazing at the stars or the moon or the
sun or the trees or the flowers. Try this question. How can man
that's born of a woman be clean in the eyes of God? How can man
be just with God? Behold the moon, it shineth not.
The stars are not pure in God's sight. How much less man that
is a worm. Man that drinketh iniquity like
the water. You won't find the answer to
that question in creation. Try this question. Oh Lord, if
thou shouldest mark iniquity, who would stand? We can't find
the answer to that question. Who shall stand in his presence?
If a man die, the book of Job says, shall he live again? How
about that question? God is life and we're dead, dying
men. God is light, and we walk in
darkness. God is holy. Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God, and we are sinful. Wilt thou, O Lord, look upon
such a one? Stars tell me. Trees, flowers
that bloom, heavens, firmament, no answer comes forth. What must
I do to be saved? What must I do to be justified?
What must I do to be accepted of God? The heavens are silent. Oh, the heavens declare the glory
of God, but not his redemptive glory, the glory of his wisdom
and the glory of his power and the glory of his majesty, but
not his redemptive glory. The heavens say nothing about
redemption, nothing about life, death, judgment, heaven or hell,
or atonement, or substitution, or satisfaction. Stand all your
lifetime and gaze upon nature, and gaze upon the book of creation,
and you'll find the answer to these questions. How can a man
find God's grace? How can a man find God's mercy?
How can a man find redemption? Well, you have to go someplace
else other than creation. Tell you where you have to go,
and there's only one place, and that's to the Word of God. And
this is what David says in Psalm 19 after talking about the revelations
of the book of creation. The heavens declare the glory
of God. The firmament showeth his handiwork. Day unto day showeth
knowledge. Night unto night speaketh. There's
not a speech or a language or a tribe where their voice is
not heard. And the sun goeth forth as in
a tabernacle, as a strong man, a bridegroom, running a race.
Nothing is hid from the heat thereof. But then David comes
back with this, the word of the Lord. The word of the Lord is
perfect. It converts the soul. Now heavens
and creation can convert the mind into thinking upon God,
into considering God, into facing the reality of God. But the Word
of God converts the soul. If I want to know how a man can
know God in redemption, if I want to know how a man can approach
the living God, if I want to know how a man can be forgiven
of sin and have fellowship with this God who is real, then I
have to go to the Word of God. That's the only source. And I'm
not talking about going to men and finding out what God says.
I'm not talking about going to men and finding out their opinion
of what God says. I'm talking about personally,
individually, going to the Word of God. John 5, 24 says, Verily,
verily, I say unto you, and the Master speaks, He that heareth
my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting
life. In John 20, verse 31, the Apostle
John wrote, These are written, but these are written, these
words are written, these things are written, that you might believe
that Jesus, Jesus of Nazareth, is the Christ, the Son of God,
and that believing you might have life through his name. My friend, I read in the Word
of God how that God created man in his own image. That's what
the Bible says. In the beginning God created
the heaven and the earth, and he made man. Male and female
created he them. In his own image created he them. He created them holy and upright,
but man sought out many inventions. And I read in the word of God
how that man fell, how that Adam sinned and disobeyed God, and
how that death and darkness and judgment passed upon all men
because all sinned. In Adam we die. in Adam death
and judgment and condemnation passed upon us. And I read in
God's Word how that the Lord God purposed to have a people,
how that the Lord God made an everlasting covenant in which
he gave to his son a people. And he said heaven will be populated,
heaven will be populated by a holy people. And all of those holy
people, those peculiar people, that royal priesthood, that holy
nation, shall be redeemed by the blood of my Son, and they
shall all be predestined to be just like Christ, conformed to
his blessed image." I read in the Word of God how that God
made a covenant. He said, I'll make a covenant
with them after those days. I'll put my law in their minds
and in their hearts. I'll take away their transgressions
and I'll forgive their iniquities and I'll remember their sins
no more. I read in the Word of God how that the prophecies and
promises and pictures in the Old Testament show forth the
coming Christ, the coming Messiah, the coming substitute, the coming
great high priest, the coming sin offering, our Redeemer. I
read in the book of Matthew, chapter 1, verse 21, how that
he came into this world through the virgin's womb. And the angel
said, Thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his
people from their sins, because it's written in the prophets,
Behold, the Lord himself shall give you a sign. A virgin shall
conceive and bring forth a son, and thou call his name Immanuel,
God with us." God with us. I read that in the Word of God.
I read how he lived on this earth, born of a woman, grew up in a
carpenter's shop. walked the shores of Galilee,
and the streets of Jerusalem, and Jericho, and Capernaum, and
Bethsaida, and lived a perfect life, a perfect life. He obeyed every law, every Levitical
law, every moral law, every judicial law, every civil law, and every
law of the home. He never offended God. This is
my beloved son, the father said, in whom I am well pleased. The
son thought it not robbery to be equal with the father. And
he said, he that has seen me has seen God. I and my father
are one. The God-man walked on this earth,
and in him I have a perfect righteousness, because he was tempted and tried
as we are, yet without sin he worked out in his life a perfect
obedience and gave unto God a perfect righteousness on behalf of his
people. By man came death, by man came
the resurrection of the dead. In Adam we died, in Christ we
are made alive. As we have borne the image of
the earthly, we shall bear the image of the heavenly. I read
that in God's Word. I read how he went to the cross,
and there he was wounded for our transgressions and bruised
for our iniquities, and the chastisement of our peace was laid upon him,
and by his stripes we are healed. I read how that this one man,
with a perfect sacrifice and atonement and a perfect offering,
also perfected forever them that are sanctified. And now because
we have a great high priest, we can come boldly before the
throne of grace and find mercy and grace to help in time of
need. I read how he died on that cross
and finished the work of redemption, made perfect all that God required,
how that he was buried as our scapegoat and arose as our justifier. And when he came forth from the
tomb, the heavenly Father spake as if from heaven