Who Is the Lord

I have a subject today that I
feel is of utmost importance to myself and to you and to everyone
who hears this broadcast. I'm going to speak to you on
this subject, Who is the Lord? Who is the Lord? Now, my text
will be taken from the book of Exodus, chapter 5, verse 2. And
Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord? That I should obey his voice.
to let Israel go? I know not the Lord. Why should
I let Israel go? Who is the Lord? Now, Moses and
Aaron went in to King Pharaoh, ruler of Egypt, and they demanded
that Pharaoh let Israel go. They said, Thus saith the Lord,
Let my people go. And that's when Pharaoh answered
in this fashion, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice?
I know not the Lord. Now this is my subject today,
who is the Lord? It will be well worth your time
to carefully consider this question, who is the Lord? Now first of
all, God is not who we think he is. God is who he is. Now you consider that for a moment. God is not who you think he is. You say, well I think this about
God. Well he's not who you think he is. God is who he is. Now the scripture says this in
Psalms 50 verse 21, Thou thoughtest that I was altogether such a
one as thyself. And then in Isaiah 55 verse 8
the scripture says, My thoughts are not your thoughts, and my
ways are not your ways. And God said again, There is
a way that seemeth right unto men, and the end is death and
destruction. I must not rely on my thoughts
about God. I must find out from Him who
He really is. God is not who I think He is.
If God is who we think He is, you'd have as many gods as you
have people. But God is who He is. And then
again, listen to this now. Consider this for a moment. God
is not who we say He is, but God is who He says He is. You
see the difference there? God is not who you think he is.
Your thoughts are not God's thoughts. God is who he is, regardless
of what you think, regardless of what I think. And God is not
who I say God is. And God is not who you say God
is. God is who he says he is. Now
the heathen bows before his idols of stone and marble, and he says,
here is God. And here is his God. These are
his thoughts of God. This is his conception of God.
This is who the heathen says God is. Here is God, says the
heathen. The idols of stone and marble.
The religionist. He brings forth statues of dead
saints. Statues of the virgin. A crucifix
with a man hanging on it with a crown of thorns on his head.
And he bows before those statues and he says, here is God. Here
is God. Here is my conception of God.
Here are my thoughts of God. Here's who I say that God is.
Well, God is not who we say He is. God is who He says He is.
And the legalist, he brings forth his laws of do's and don'ts,
and his religious standards, and his church standards, and
he says, now do this and don't do that, and do something else,
for this is God. And then the theologian digs
out all of his old books, and his old creeds, and his old catechisms,
and his doctrines, and his charts, and his prophecies, and he says,
here is God. And the emotionalist talks about
visions and dreams. Just last night at the hospital,
there was a dear lady telling me about a vision that a man
had. He saw the Lord. He saw the Lord, he said. The
Lord sat down on the side of his bed. Well, that's his conception
of God. Those are his thoughts of God.
The emotionalist tells you about great lights that he's seen,
and great dreams that he's had, and he's seen God in human form,
and he says, this is God. And then the ceremonialist, he
goes through all of the motions of denominational programs, and
playing church on Sunday morning, and going through all of these
different ordinances and rituals, and he says, come join me, this
is God. The fundamentalist talks about
the terrors of hell, and the glories of heaven, and the joys
of the everlasting life, and he says, come to the front, come
down to the front of our church, come to the altar, and meet God.
God is down here, come down here where God is. And the Lord says
to us the same thing that he said to the religionist and the
fundamentalist and the legalist and the ceremonialist and the
emotionalist and all these other people in his day. He said, you
neither know me nor my father. You neither know me nor my father. And before he left here, before
he was crucified and before he was buried and rose again, he
said this to his disciples, to those who truly knew him. those
to whom he asked this question, Whom say ye that I am? And they
said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And he
said, Flesh and blood didn't reveal that to you. My Father
which is in heaven revealed that to you. You know who I am because
my Father revealed to you who I am. And he said this to them
before he went to the cross. He said, Now the religionist
will put you out of the synagogue And the time will come when whosoever
killeth you will think that he does his God a service, and these
things will they do to you, because they do not know the Father,
and they do not know me. Men do not by nature know God.
Here is God, here is God, here is God. Well, who is the Lord?
I feel like asking with Pharaoh today. Who is the Lord that I
should obey his voice? Who is the Lord? that I should
let Israel go. I know not the Lord," he said.
Who is the Lord? Moses? Tell me who God is. Somebody
said to David one day, our gods are on the pedestals where we
put them. Our gods are in the shrines where we have fashioned
and molded them. Where is your God? David, where
is your God? What if somebody put that to
you today? You say, me, I ought to obey God, and they say, well,
who is the Lord that I should obey him? I know not the Lord. You know, David, in Psalm 42,
verse 1 and 2, said this, As the deer panteth for the water
brooks, so panteth my soul for thee, the living God. The living
God. So panteth my soul for thee,
the living God. My soul thirsteth for the living
God. And then in Philippians 3.10,
Paul wrote, O that I may know him, that I may know the living
God, the true God, and the power of his resurrection. And our
Lord Jesus Christ, in that great priestly prayer of John 17, cried,
ìThis is eternal life, that they might know Thee, the only true
God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent.î Now, God Almighty
is who He is, and weíre not going to change that by our thoughts
or by our words or by our ideas about God. God is who He is.
And Almighty God is who he says he is. Therefore, a correct knowledge
of God, held by you or me, by Baptist or Methodist, Catholic,
Protestant or Jew, a knowledge of the living God must come from
him, must come from him by divine revelation. That's where it's
got to come from. If I'm going to find out who
he is, in answer to this question that Pharaoh asked, who is the
Lord, that I should obey him. Who is the Lord? And our Lord
said, this is eternal life to know God. And if I'm going to
know who God is, he's going to have to teach me himself. That's
the only source of information. God is who he is, and God is
who he says he is. 1 Corinthians 2, verse 11 says,
What man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man
which is in him? I don't know what's in you, except
what you tell me or reveal to me. And even so, no man knows
what's in another man unless that man is pleased to reveal
himself to us, his thoughts, his principles, his convictions.
Even so, now listen, even so, the things of God knoweth no
man but the Spirit of God. You see that? And listen to 1
Corinthians 2.14, the natural man receiveth not the things
of the Spirit of God. They're foolishness to him, neither
can he know them. for they're spiritually understood.
And Job asked this, can you by searching find out God? Can you
find out the Almighty under perfection? Why, it's high as the heavens.
What can you do? It's deeper than hell. What can
you know? My friends, any knowledge that
I have in this heart or this mind of the true God must come
from Him by divine revelation. And the Lord God has chosen to
reveal himself to us in two ways. In two ways. Now I know the heavens
declare the glory of God, but I want to know something about
the righteousness of God, the justice of God, the mercy of
God, the love of God, the character of God, the person of God. I
don't want to just see his judgments, I don't want to just see the
miracles, I don't want to just see the power of God, I'm going
to have to find out who he is. I know he made this earth, but
who is the God who made this earth? What's he like? And there's
two ways that God has chosen to reveal himself, and I say
this to you, only two ways. Who is the Lord? He's who he
is, and he's who he says he is. And it must come by divine revelation.
If I'm going to know anything about God in my heart, he's going
to have to teach me. And there's two ways that he'll
teach you who he is. Number one, by his word. Number
two, by his son. Now, if you take your Bible and
turn to Hebrews 1, verse 1 and 2, you'll have that clear as
a bell written in the word of God. Hebrews 1, 1 and 2, listen,
God, who at sundry times and in different ways spake to our
fathers by the prophets, by the word, hath in these last days
spoken unto us by his son. That's the only way. God speaks
by his word, through his prophets, and he speaks to us through his
Son. And this is the way of the living God. Now, you're not going
to find out who God is by your feelings, and by your emotions,
and by your traditions, and by your ceremonies, and walking
out looking at the trees, and looking at nature. You're only
going to find out who God is by through his word and through
his Son. That's the only way. And this
is the way God reveals Himself. And if you would know the true
God, the living God, trust not your thoughts, trust not your
dreams, trust not your visions, get acquainted with His Word
and with His Son. Now, what did the prophets say?
What did the prophets say about God? Well, first of all, the
prophets said this, God is eternal. God is eternal. Psalm 90, verse
1. Thou hast been our dwelling place
in all generations, before the mountains were brought forth,
or even Thou hast formed the earth and the world. From everlasting
to everlasting Thou art God. He is eternal, in the beginning,
God. God is everlasting. God is eternal. God always has been and always
will be. He's eternal. What did the prophets
say? Well, the prophets tell us that
God's the creator. Genesis 1.1 says, In the beginning
God created the heavens and the earth. All things were made by
Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made.
And in Him we live and move and have our being, and by Him all
things consist. And then the prophets say, God
is holy. Psalm 48, verse 7, God sitteth
upon the throne of His holiness. 1 Samuel 6.20, Who is able to
stand before the holy Lord God? Isaiah said, in the year that
King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord high and lifted up. And the cherubims
and the seraphims cried about the throne, holy, holy, holy
Lord God of hosts. Psalm 111 verse 9 says, holy
and reverend is his name. What did the prophets say? The
prophets said God is unchangeable. Malachi 3.6, I am the Lord, I
change not. God is in one mind. Who can turn
Him? The gifts and calling of God
are without change. The Lord doeth according to His
pleasure in the armies of heaven and among the inhabitants of
this earth, and none can stay His hand or say unto Him, What
doest thou? He is unchangeable, immutable.
What do the prophets say? God is invisible. 1 Timothy 1.17,
Now unto the King. eternal, immortal, invisible,
the only wise God, the honor and glory forever. And Christ
talked to the woman at the well, and she talked about worshiping
in the mountain and the Jews worshiping in Jerusalem, and
Christ said, you worship you know not what. God is a spirit. God is not a statue. That's the
reason we're not to make any likeness of anything in heaven
or earth and fall down before any kind of statue or picture.
in regard to spiritual things or in regard to God. God's a
spirit. We're not to worship crucifixes and crosses and statues
and these things. But, preacher, we need reminders.
God is a spirit. And they that worship him, worship
him in spirit and truth. And then the prophet said, God
is just and God is righteous. Psalm 145, verse 17, the Lord
is righteous in all his ways. The judge of the earth shall
do that which is right. and he will by no means clear
the guilty. God is almighty. They said, David,
where is your God? David said, Our God is in the
heavens. He hath done whatsoever he pleased, whatsoever the Lord
pleased, that did he in heaven, in earth, in the seas, and in
all deep places. God is love. John wrote in 1
John 4a, He that loveth not knoweth not God, for God is love. God is love. And then God is
a Savior. David said, Salvation belongeth
to the Lord. Jonah, in the depths of the whale's
belly, cried, Salvation is of the Lord. Jeremiah 3.23, listen
to this. I've read this scripture, I know,
but today it became beautiful to me. It came with great meaning
because it fits so well in this particular point. God is a Savior,
and the only Savior. And Jeremiah wrote in Jeremiah
3.23, in vain, in vain. is salvation hoped for from the
hills or from the mountains. Truly, in the Lord our God is
salvation. In vain is salvation hoped for
in works, in law, in experience, in ordinances, in merit. Truly,
in the Lord is salvation. He's a Savior. God's faith to
our fathers by the prophets And God told us, through the prophets,
who he is. He's eternal. He's the Creator. He is holy. He's unchangeable. He's infinite. He's invisible.
He's just and righteous. He's almighty. He's love. And
he's a Savior. And then God hath in these last
days spoken unto us by his Son. Now, what did the Son say? Well,
first of all, the Son said this, I and my Father are one. He that
hath seen me hath seen the Father. John 14, 8, Philip said, Well,
Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us. And our Lord
said, Philip, have I been so long time with you, and yet you
have not known me? He that hath seen me hath seen
the Father. The Father is in me, and I am
in the Father. Listen, Jesus Christ is God Almighty. He's not just a representative
of God, He is God. He is the blessed image of God
Almighty. He is the brightness of his image. He is God. In Matthew 1.21, when
the angel appeared to Joseph to announce the birth of Christ,
he said, ìFear not to take unto thee Mary to be thy wife, for
she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name
Jesus, and he shall save his people from their sins.î Now
this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by
the prophet Isaiah, ìBehold, a virgin shall conceive, and
bring forth a son, and I shall call his name Jesus, Emmanuel,
Savior God." Emmanuel means what? God with us. Jesus Christ, God
with us, God in the flesh. Listen, John 1.1, In the beginning
was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God,
and all things were made by him. Without him was not anything
made that was made, and the Word by whom all things were for whom
all things were made. And that word became flesh and
dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the
only begotten of the Father, full of grace and full of truth."
Listen to 1 John 5.20. This is one of the most positive
scriptures in the Bible in reference to who Christ is. In 1 John 5.20,
we know that the Son of God has come. and hath given us an understanding
that we may know him." That is true. Now, God spake to our fathers
by the prophets. God revealed himself through
these prophets. These prophets told the people
who God is. Now his son has come to this
earth, and his son says, look to me. I am God. I and my father
were one. Would you know God? Know me.
Would you come to God? Come to me. Would you understand
God? Listen to me. That's what the
Father said on the Mount of Transfiguration. He said, this is my beloved Son.
Listen to Him. Hear Him. This is my Son. And
we know that the Son of God has come and given us an understanding
that we may know God. That is true. And we are in Him
that is true, even in His Son, Jesus Christ. This is the true
God and eternal life. Now, I want you to listen to
me for a moment. There are three things that I want to bring out
that are very important here. Jesus Christ is our prophet,
our priest, and our king. Now, first of all, our prophet,
way back yonder, hundreds of years before Christ came. Moses
says the Lord shall raise up from among the brethren a prophet. That prophet, him you shall hear. Listen to him. This is the prophecy
of Christ, that that prophet will come to reveal God more
clearly, more perfectly. You shall listen to him. Now,
no man, Christ said, knoweth the Father save the Son, and
he to whom the Son will reveal him. Jesus Christ is that anointed,
ordained prophet to reveal to you and to me who God is. Would
you know God? No Christ. Would you look to
God by faith? Look to Christ. Would you have
a saving relationship with God? You'll have to have that saving
relationship through Christ. You know, Philip, was it Philip
that said, or Thomas said to him, Lord, we don't know where
you're going. He talked about going away. And Thomas said,
we don't know where you're going. How can we know the way? Christ
said, I am the way. I am the truth. I am the life.
No man cometh to the Father but by me. I'm the way to God. Would
you know God? No Christ. Would you come to
God? Come through Christ. He is that prophet. Secondly,
Christ is that priest. Christ is that priest. Back down
in the Old Testament, God ordained a high priest. They had a tabernacle
out in the wilderness. That tabernacle was made up of
two sections. There was the Holy of Holies
and there was the Holy Place. And separating that Holy of Holies
from the Holy Place was a heavy veil. Now, in that holy place
out here, there were three pieces of furniture. There was the table
of showbread, and there was the candlestick, and there was the
altar of incense, and then the heavy veil. And inside the Holy
of Holies, this represented the presence of God. This represented
the dwelling place of God. In that Holy of Holies, in that
awesome holy place, was one piece of furniture. It was called the
Ark of the Covenant. And inside that Ark of the Covenant,
it wasn't but about two feet long, 18 inches wide and 18 inches
high. Inside that Ark of the Covenant
was the broken law, Moses' law, the law God gave Moses on Mount
Sinai. It was in that Ark. Also in that
Ark was some of the manna, the bread from heaven. In that Ark
was Aaron's rod that budded. And overlaying that Ark of the
Covenant was a gold mercy seat. Now this is 15 by 15 by 15 was
all the large that Holy of Holies was. God's presence was there.
Once a year, the high priest, now they had their morning sacrifices
and evening sacrifices and daily sacrifices and all the different
ones that were offered, but once a year on the Day of Atonement,
the high priest would take a lamb and outside on the altar, out
in front of the tabernacle, That lamb would be slain, its body
burned, and the blood called in a basin. And that priest would
come into the holy place, and then he would slip under the
veil, and he would go into the presence of God, representing
the people, himself and the people. And he would come to that ark
of the covenant in which lay the broken law. And he would
put that blood on top of the mercy seat. And the blood would
run down over the mercy seat and drip along the sides. This
represented death, death for sin. This represented a sacrifice
for sin. This represented substitution.
This represented Christ. And this was done year after
year after year on the day of atonement. And then that high
priest would slip under the veil and go outside. And the people
were accepted by the Father. They were received by God. One
day our Lord came to this earth, our great high priest. He went
to Calvary's cross, the Lamb of God. That's what John the
Baptist said there on the River Jordan. He said, there's the
Lamb of God. There's the atonement. There's the sacrifice. There's
the substitute. There's the one who bears away
the sin of the world. He went to Calvary's cross and
he died on that cross. He suffered the just for the
unjust. He suffered the righteous for
the unrighteous. He suffered the sinless for the
sinful. He shed his blood and his body
was bruised and broken on that tree. And when he died on that
cross, the scripture says that that veil in the temple, it was
still hanging there, it was rent in twain from the top to the
bottom, signifying that the way into the holiest, the way into
the presence of God, was open for you and me. And now he says,
let us come boldly before the presence of God, that we may
find mercy and grace to help in time of need. Boldly, because
the one sacrifice, the one atonement, the one supreme substitutionary
work has been offered, and our sins are put away. And the way
into God's presence is open for all who will come. Christ is
our priest. And now we have a high priest.
He's at the right hand of God. He's not down here on the earth.
We are kings and priests. Christ has made us a priest,
and we can come into the presence of God and offer sacrifices of
praise and prayer and worship and faith and gratitude and all
these sacrifices, but Christ has opened for us a way into
the presence of God. Now, thirdly, God has highly
exalted him and given him a name which is above every name, that
at the name of Jesus every knee should bow and every tongue should
confess that he is Lord to the glory of God the Father. He's
the prophet to reveal the father. He is the priest that by his
blood and by his sacrifice he takes us into the presence of
the father. And he is the king who reigns over us. His scepter
reigns over all believers. And he says his yoke is easy
and his burden is light. And it's a good kingdom. It's
a precious kingdom. I hope you'll join us next week
for the telecast, and if you'd like to have this message on
tape, the message, Who is the Lord?, you write to us. There
will be two messages on each tape, the one I preached today
and the one I preached next week. The charge is three dollars.
Cast that tape. We'll be glad to send them. You'll
write for them. The announcer will give you the address. Until
next week, at this same time, I bid you a very pleasant good
day.

Who Is the Lord

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Who Is the Lord

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