11.28.2010 The Story of the Bible (4) - Moses

11.28.2010 Grace Summit Sermon - The Story of the Bible - Moses from Grace Summit on Vimeo.

The Story of the Bible – Leading up to Christmas – We have made it up to Exodus – and only have a couple of weeks to go through the Old Testament up to Matthew! Really, Advent began in Genesis 3 – looking for this Savior who would come. Then we have 4 gospels to tell us what God looks like. Then we have the Acts and the Epistles – to tell the church how to live.

Exodus today -
Kings Next week
All of the prophets the following week.

Moses was a Jew, but grew up as a ruler in the house of Pharaoh – and he sees that the Israelites are being mistreated by his family – the Egyptians – and he fails and is cast out into the desert. Moses is a shepherd – and you've probably seen the movie with the Burning Bush. God tells Moses that He has chosen him to lead His people. Moses is looking to get out of it – and is wishing he never went to look at the burning bush!

Exodus 3:13 Moses said to God, "Suppose (at this point, Moses is not committing to anything!) I go to the Israelites and say to them, `The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, `What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?" 14 God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: `I AM has sent me to you.'" 15 God also said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, `The LORD, the God of your fathers--the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob--has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.

There was POWER in the name of their gods. The Israelites probably felt defeated – like their God was not as great as the Egyptian gods – because they were in slavery. The name was the seat of power. And here we have a people who have been living in slavery suffering under the oppression of the Egyptians – they were strangers and aliens in the land. And by now, they have been crying out to God; Moses is eighty – and the oppression started long before he was born – and there was no answer.
Now Moses is to come back and say that they will be delivered – and they would be like, yeah, we've heard that before – and so Moses asks – What is Your name?
God says, I AM.
This is a little confusing – that is not really a name – it is just I AM - WHO I AM.
It is a bit of a play on words – Hebrew scholars tell us that. But He is also saying – I am ALIVE, present and ready to act. I exist and I am ready to act on your behalf.

I have seen my people's suffering and I am about to take action on their behalf. The God of Abraham/Isaac/Jacob is the God of the past/present/future – and He is about to act on their behalf in amazing ways. This I AM is about to completely turn the tables on the Egyptians.
This is the same God of the forefathers.
What takes place is just incredible – it is amazing! There has been nothing like it since! And from the beginning, He wants them to know that He is the one to do it all

Exodus 6:2 God spoke further to Moses and said to him, "I am the Lord; 3 and I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as God Almighty, but [by] My name, Lord, I did not make Myself known to them. 4 "And I also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they sojourned. 5 "And furthermore I have heard the groaning of the sons of Israel, because the Egyptians are holding them in bondage; and I have remembered My covenant.

It is interesting – I am THE LORD – I appeared to Abraham/Isaac/Jacob – as God Almighty – El Shaddai – That is the Hebrew word for it – Elohim – Creator God of power.
But there is also the name Yahweh – This speaks of relationship. They knew me as the creator God of power – but I am coming closer and I will reveal myself in a greater way to this nation than ever before. God is indicating that He is going to work in a way that He hasn't in the past.
There was a long time when God came and worked and then was silent for a time – but during this time, God will be with them through their journey. This is the Progress of Redemption we have been talking about – until it all leads to Jesus – Emmanuel, God with us.
After His death and resurrection, we have Him now inside -
Noah got a couple of words from God. Can you imagine living that long with just a few sentences? We have a helper inside of us to help/comfort/guide/walk with us/empower us.
In Exodus we just have one more step.
This tells us of God's desire to make Himself known.
Romans says that people can't really call themselves atheists – because creation testifies of it – it is impossible not to see God – He has made Himself known to us.
BUT – He wants to be known intimately by us, in this love relationship. And we can do that.
He is allowing Israel, through a number of ways – He gives them the LAW – and we think, oh no! The Law!
But that is how He related.
Then later, has Moses build a tabernacle – the place where God's presence was experienced by the people of Israel.
Ex. 25:8 "And let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them.
That is God's presence with them.
For us specifically – God calls Himself the I AM and Jehovah – and is involved in our circumstances and situations – believe that God is present in that struggle, that joy, that victory, that defeat. He has not left, but He is God IN THAT – not just in getting you out of that, but He is God in that.

Heb. 4:15 – 15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as [we are, yet] without sin.
Christ is able to understand what we go through – He gets it – He is with you, in your most difficult situation and in your greatest joys.
To have this relationship with God where we can experience everything together.
Psalm 103:6 The Lord performs righteous deeds, And judgments for all who are oppressed. 7 He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the sons of Israel. 8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious, Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness. 9 He will not always strive [with us]; Nor will He keep [His anger] forever. 10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
God, what He is doing here – not only makes His deeds known – but He wants to reveal Himself – not just making Red Seas part – or calling down fire from heaven – but He showed what His heart was like – that we might really know Him. - and He wants us to know Him and He does that through life.
He gave the Law, He built the tabernacle...
Ex. 31:13 "Say to the Israelites, `You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the LORD, who makes you holy.

He gives them a day to focus on Him – a day that they will have to trust Him and cultivate a relationship with Him.
For us, though it is good to take a sabbath day, we have every day!
In chapter 32, they break the covenant – the people get anxious – and Aaron builds the golden calf
And even after they rebel:
Ex. 34:5 Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the LORD. 6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation."
Here is what we see – God proclaims who He is – we tend to focus on the end of the verse – but when God shares this – what is first – how does He want to be known? 5 Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the LORD. 6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.
How much stronger could He say it?
Yes, He is also a just God, and He puts that in there. His mercy triumphs justice, the psalmist says – and that is His nature.
What that means – for Israel – at that moment – Yes, He has judged many – but they can begin again – God will start fresh with them. And it is true for us. That moment we turn back to God – new and fresh, we can rewrite that story – write our lives – and He is not hindered by our flaws, faults and sins. He just wants us to turn back to see His mercy.
So many find themselves caught and trapped in something, and because of fear, they don't turn to Him, but God says that should not be the case, because He is longing for us.
Ex. 33:18 Then Moses said, "Now show me your glory." 19 And the LORD said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you,
Moses wants to see all of His glory – the power and majesty – but God says – I will show you my goodness!
and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
We have a God of mercy and compassion and grace...
But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live."
God sticks Moses in the rock – and passes by – and all Moses sees is His back – leaving – because that is all Moses could take!
Let's jump to John 1:1 – it is an explanation of what we have just read.
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
Genesis 1 – In the Beginning, God created the Heavens and the earth – Jesus was the creator -
John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
1 John says – that which we handled and touched – they got to hug God! Moses could only see God from a distance, and then, only His back, but the disciples were able to hike with, eat dinner with...

We have seen His glory!
Moses didn't really...
Full of grace – Mercy and compassion in the new testament. We don't understand what this means – we just say, unmerited favor – but to them, this was enormous. All of those words we mentioned in Moses – put together in this word.

Out of this fulness, GRACE and truth came from Jesus Christ.
He is really making a point here, is he not?
That is the God who comes to us – and John is saying, that is the God of the Old testament – not a god of wrath.
18 No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known.
In the life of Jesus we see everything there is to know about God.
Christ made God fully known – revealed Him completely! At least in His character. His attributes. They are all revealed in Jesus
John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
This bring us back to Exodus – 12 -
3 Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. 4 If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat. 5 The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. 6 Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the people of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. 7 Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the door frames of the houses where they eat the lambs. 8 That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast. 9 Do not eat the meat raw or cooked in water, but roast it over the fire--head, legs and inner parts. 10 Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it. 11 This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the LORD's Passover. 12 "On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn--both men and animals--and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. 13 The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt. 14 "This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD--a lasting ordinance. 15 For seven days you are to eat bread made without yeast. On the first day remove the yeast from your houses, for whoever eats anything with yeast in it from the first day through the seventh must be cut off from Israel. 16 On the first day hold a sacred assembly, and another one on the seventh day. Do no work at all on these days, except to prepare food for everyone to eat--that is all you may do.
They still celebrate this – from how many thousands of years ago – still celebrate the Passover as a memorial.
John said, Behold the Lamb of God – it all points to the real lamb of God – the one who would take away the sins of the world.
We are going to celebrate communion – we have two primary memorials – the first is a bath – we call it baptism.
When I say, it is a bath, we think, that is odd, because a bath is a private thing. But they didn't see it that way.
When they would go to the temple – to offer a sacrifice – archeologists tell us that there may have been as many as 500 baths – on the path to offer a sacrifice in the temple.
We've been washed, through baptism – your sins have been washed.
In August – when we had a baptism – and there were even rubber duckies placed in it from the people who loaned it to us – and they may have done it as a joke – but it is a reminder that it is a bath!
The other ordinance that God gave us is His supper:
1 cor. 11:23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. 27 Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 31 But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. 32 When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world. 33 So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for each other. 34 If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment.

This may be a common meal – very simple on purpose – because it is not about the bread and wine, but about the body and blood of Jesus. We don't need the Lamb, because Jesus is the Lamb. We remember what Jesus did for us.