Exodus (Lesson 64)

Welcome to the Preaching the Cross Radio Podcast, featuring the radio ministry of Pastor James W.

Knox of the Bible Baptist Church of Delaney, Florida.

Our prayer is that these half-hour Bible study programs will bring the lost to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and enable the saved to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Savior.

Now here's your host, Pastor James W.

Knox.

I'm Brother James.

I greet you once again in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

This is the Preaching of the Cross Radio Broadcast.

It is our great joy to be able to take God's word, open it together with you, and discuss with you the grand truths contained in the pure and perfect words of God, the Holy Bible, and enjoy them together.

Hope you can stay with us for the next half an hour.

You know, there are those who believe, maybe some of you attend a church that believes, that once upon a time God had a Bible.

And once upon a time that Bible was perfect, but now as we've made our way down through time, uh the Bible has fallen into disrepair and into error.

And uh some uh some man that went to a Bible school when he was 18 and finished when he was 21 learned enough in that Bible school to be able to tell you what's wrong with the Holy Bible, and uh so that you need to follow him as your final authority, not the Bible.

Uh that's not the case on this broadcast.

You'll never hear us say the Bible is wrong.

You'll never hear us say a verse is wrong or a word is wrong.

And uh some of these uh well-meaning fundamental and liberal infidels uh say that the originals, the originals were the perfect words of God, but uh you couldn't trust a copy to be the perfect word of God.

And uh may I remind you, as we are studying Exodus chapter number 32, that when Moses came down off the mountain, he had in his hands tables of stone written upon with the finger of God.

Those were the original writings of the Old Testament law.

And when Moses saw the people dancing naked around the golden calf, in his anger and in his fury, Moses threw down those tables of stone and broke them on the ground.

Thus the original writings were destroyed before anyone could ever read them.

Thus the original writings were destroyed before anyone could ever study them.

And then Moses went back up on the mountain, and God directed Moses to rewrite a copy.

But he couldn't make a copy from the originals, the originals had been destroyed, he had to get them directly from God, and when he came back down off the mountain, he had the perfect words of God containing the law of God, and for the next uh 1,500 years, every priest, every prophet, every minister, every individual, right up to the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, recognized the Old Testament law as being the perfect word of God, never corrected or suggested that a single word of it needed to be corrected, and none of them ever saw the originals.

So we teach the Bible, the Holy Bible, and uh we know and we understand and we believe that the God who authored his word has preserved his word, and so we enjoy its contents.

We don't set ourselves above it.

Uh thank God we avoided that uh education in uh infidelity.

We are studying the Bible book of Exodus, chapter number 32.

If you've not been with us, uh we've probably spent five programs on this chapter, where Aaron, in response to the request of the nation of Israel, formed and fashioned a golden calf.

And the people said that that golden calf was their God, and that that golden calf had brought them out of Egypt.

Aaron went so far as to say they just threw gold in the fire and that calf walked out.

But God isn't hearing it, and Moses isn't hearing it, and Moses ground that calf to powder and made the people drink it.

And then on the last broadcast, we saw that the children of Levi gathered themselves together unto Moses, and they were instructed to take a sword and execute capital punishment upon the ringleaders of this idolatry.

And verse 38 says, And the children of Levi did, according to the word of Moses, and the fellow of the people that day about three thousand.

About three thousand.

Now, a number of issues are raised by what appears to be an extreme action.

First, why was such a severe punishment dealt to these people?

Now, to understand the reason, you have to appreciate the depth of the sin that has been committed.

We've already made reference to this on the last program, but uh.

After the blessing which these people had enjoyed, the wonder of the deliverance which had been wrought on their behalf, the graciousness and bounty of God's provision meeting their needs ever since they left Egypt, to wait for Moses to return for 40 days was not much of a demand.

Their rapid descent into idolatry, with its accompanying scandalous behavior, didn't only warrant the severest judgment of God under the law, a law which they had willingly accepted, particularly when they had been given the opportunity to repent and declare that they were on the Lord's side, they had to learn the dire consequences of breaking the law.

Now remember, not only had God done all these incredible miracles for them, we've talked about that.

Not only was God feeding them with bread from heaven twice a day, we've already seen that, talked about that.

But Moses said, verse 26, who is on the Lord's side?

Let him come unto me.

Every single person in that nation could have in that moment repented of their idolatry, put their clothes back on, shut down that warlike music, and gotten over on the right side once again, if not in their heart, at least in their outward conduct.

And so those that were slain were not just slain because of their idolatry.

They were not just slain because of the wickedness in which they were engaged, they were slain because they would not turn from it when they were called upon to do so.

May I say to you, ladies and gentlemen, if you're listening to my voice right now and you're not saved, you've never trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior.

You will not, now listen to me, you will not end up in hell because of the sins that you committed.

That condemns you, that makes you guilty before God, but you will not end up in hell because of the sins that you have committed.

You will end up in hell if you do, you will end up in hell because you didn't turn from those sins and take Jesus Christ as your Savior.

You see, the Bible says that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

But he that believeth not is condemned because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

The everlasting punishment and condemnation heaped upon the sinner is not because he has sinned, because that sin was paid for on the cross at Calvary.

No, it's because he would not trust the Savior of sinners, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, the second issue is why just three thousand were slain, and not all of them.

Now, there are a number of possible reasons for this.

It could be that the judgment fell on those who were the prime movers behind this idolatrous worship.

It was quite possible for 3,000 to persuade the nation and work on the feelings of others, prey on the weakness of others.

In these days of waiting, during which faithless anxiety may have gripped the hearts of some.

Here were men who gave them some project in which to become involved, which could be claimed as an act of worship.

The second possible reason is that those 3,000 were the hardest of heart, whereas others may have shown at least some signs of sorrow and repentance, these were obstinate.

Of these two explanations, the first seems to fit the circumstances better.

It matches the rest of the Bible.

As you know, at the judgment of nations, every individual citizen within a nation is not called to sit uh stand before the seated ruling monarch of the earth, the Lord Jesus Christ, to be judged for their participation in the persecution of Israel during the tribulation time, but just the leaders of the land.

Why did the people not resist?

Well, they felt weak before Moses.

God, as we've mentioned, gave him an incredible supernatural power in the eyes of the people, and none dared stand against him, the tribe of Levi.

And uh they acted in accord with God's will and God's desire to preserve the nation and to vindicate the holiness of the Lord.

Now it's important to consider as well, and very, very interesting, the difference uh between the law, Old Testament, and grace, New Testament.

On the day the law was given, on the tables of stone, written with the finger of God, on the day Moses came down from the mount to give God's laws in writing to the people, three thousand lives were taken because of unbelief.

On the day of Pentecost in Acts chapter number two, when the Holy Ghost was given to the New Testament church, how many souls were saved?

Do you know?

Three thousand souls were saved on that day of Pentecost.

The law, the law has the power to judge, has the power to convict, has the power to condemn.

But grace and truth, saving grace, redeeming truth came by Jesus Christ.

Praise the Lord.

Now, Moses, Moses, you remember the Lord said, Thy people which thou broughtest up?

And Moses replied to the Lord, Thy people which thou hast brought up.

They were the Lord's people, notwithstanding all.

And his name, his glory, his oath, were all involved in their destiny.

The moment the Lord links himself with the people, his character is involved.

And faith, faith, will ever look at him upon this solid ground.

Moses, as we saw, loses sight of himself entirely.

His entire soul is engrossed with thoughts of the Lord's glory and the Lord's people.

What a blessed servant.

How few there are like him.

And yet, as we thought about this scene, and thought about Moses with all that has transpired on this day, we consider how infinitely he is below his blessed master.

He came down from the mount, and when he saw the calf and the dancing, his anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands and broke them beneath the mount.

The covenant broken by the people, the memorials thereof shattered to pieces by Moses.

And then having executed judgment and righteous indignation, he said unto the people, Ye have sinned a great sin.

Verse number 30.

We'll get to that in just a moment.

Ye have sinned.

Well, let's read it.

And it came to pass on the morrow that Moses said unto the people, Ye have sinned a great sin, and they had.

And now I will go up unto the Lord, peradventure I shall make an atonement for your sin.

And how like Jesus this is, and how different from Jesus this is.

You see, Jesus Christ came down from the bosom of the Father, not with the tables in his hands, but with the law in his heart.

He came down not to be made acquainted with the condition of the people, but with a perfect knowledge of what that condition was.

Instead of destroying the memorials of the covenant and executing judgment, Jesus magnified the law and made it honorable, and bore the judgment of his people in his own blessed person on the cross.

And having done all, he went back to heaven, not with a peradventure I shall make an atonement for your sin, but to lay upon the throne of the majesty and the highest the imperishable memorials of an atonement already accomplished.

Now this makes a vast and truly glorious difference.

Thank God.

We need not anxiously gaze after our mediator to know if perhaps he shall accomplish redemption for us and reconcile offended justice.

No, no, he has done it all.

His presence on high declares that the whole work is finished.

He could stand upon the confines of this world, ready to take his departure, and in all the calmness of a conscious victor, say, I have glorified the honor, I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.

Blessed Savior.

Let us adore him, let us exalt him, give him all the dignity and glory that he deserves.

The highest place in heaven belongs to Jesus Christ.

We wait for the day when every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of the Father.

And now we consider these words as the chapter nears its conclusion.

It came to pass on the morrow that Moses said unto the people, Ye have sinned a great sin.

Idolatry is a great sin.

Turning in one's heart from God is a great sin.

An ungrateful and unthankful and unappreciative heart and spirit is a great sin.

But Moses is winning.

To seek God on behalf of these sinful people and to see if perhaps atonement can be made.

This, my friend, is a heart of love.

This, my friend, is a heart filled with grace and with charity.

Some people they have this silly idea that if any man ever gets angry with another man that he's not loving, if any man ever loses his temper because of the misdeeds of another, he's not loving, Moses was incensed.

He was filled with anger when he saw the misconduct, the horrific, sinful conduct on the part of the children of Israel.

But he loved them.

He loved them so much that he will now walk back up that mountain into the presence of God and plead with God on behalf of those people.

You know that that judgment that had to be executed, those men going through the multitude with those swords and three thousand choice sinners executed for the preservation of the nation.

People say, Well, you couldn't possibly judge people and be loving.

You couldn't possibly sentence people to consequences for their misdeeds and be loving.

And yet here we see Moses making his way back to the top of Sinai in hopes of pleading with God on behalf of this erring people and bringing about their restoration and preservation in the presence of a holy God.

And so may I ask you please, do not misread Jesus Christ.

Do not misread his ministers.

Do not misread those who truly represent him.

Where there is sin the righteous will be angry.

Where there is transgression, the law abiding will be angry.

Where there is iniquity, those who are holy will be angry.

Do not mistake their anger for a lack of love.

Where a child must be corrected, a parent will execute judgment.

Where a citizen must be corrected, a righteous judge and a righteous government will execute judgment.

When the testimony of a church is in danger, when transgression merits censure, a loving pastor and loving leaders within a church will execute judgment.

Do not mistake.

Anger against sin and judgment against its root may well be a great evidence of love.

And so it is in Exodus 32.

And so it is with our great God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Has God sent judgments?

Absolutely.

Is God angry with the wicked every day?

Absolutely.

Is our God a God of wrath?

Is there a fiery burning place called hell?

Is there the everlasting punishment of a lake of fire?

Absolutely.

People look at that and say, Well, I thought God was love.

Oh my friend, how you need to take out your Bible and read it.

The truth that you are missing, the light that you are failing to receive is harming every aspect of your life.

Verse 31, and Moses returned unto the Lord and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin and have made them gods of gold.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.

Silly libertines, hyperdispensational babies say, well, we don't have to confess our sins.

They were all paid for on the cross of Jesus Christ.

So let me help you.

Let me take you into a little deeper Bible study for those of you who believe you're too deep.

Jesus Christ died on the cross.

He paid for all your sins so that when you trust him as your Savior, you might be justified.

That is, declared righteous.

A legal, judicial declaration having to do with your standing before God for time and for eternity.

I am justified freely by his grace through the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, thanks be to God.

Forgiveness is not justification.

Forgiveness is the nullification of the consequences of a sin or of many sins.

If you steal fifty dollars from me, and you come to me and say, I am sorry, would you forgive me?

I cannot justify you.

I cannot say you are righteous.

You're not righteous, you're a thief.

You said you're sorry, but you didn't bring the$50 back.

You said you're sorry, but you didn't, you didn't uh erase the consequences of uh, look, I can't justify you.

If you stole$50 from me, I cannot say you are righteous.

You say I stole$50 from you.

Would you forgive me?

That means I have the option right now of giving you my word that there will be no consequences coming from me to you because of your crime of stealing the$50.

See, you can forgive a man, you can't justify a man.

Jesus didn't say if your brother turns to you seven uh seven times, seventy times a day and says, justify me, you're to justify him.

You can't justify anybody.

That's a problem in our world today.

People are justifying sin.

Oh, it's okay, it's all right.

No, it's not.

No, it's not.

But you can forgive.

You can say, even though you did that to me, I'm not going, I'm not going to deal with you eye for eye, tooth for tooth, stripe for stripe.

And so Moses goes to the Lord and confesses the sin of the people, just as Daniel went before the Lord and confessed the sin of the people and asked God not to justify them.

How could he declare that naked dancing before a golden calf was just?

But he's going to seek forgiveness.

Please, God, do not give them the punishment they deserve.

And so we confess our sins.

He is faithful and just to do what?

Forgive us our sins.

That is, I'm not asking God to justify me again.

I've already been justified.

I'm asking God, is it possible?

Would you please cancel out the consequences of that terrible thing I did?

Please do not deal with me eye for eye, tooth for tooth, stripe for stripe.

I know I'm supposed to reap what I sowed.

Could you cancel that harvest, please?

That's the idea.

That's the idea.

So Moses is going to intercede on behalf of a people who are God's people, but who need to be forgiven.

Just as the Lord Jesus Christ ever lives to make intercession for his own who are already justified.

But thank God, if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, and oh, how we need his help.

Well, we didn't get very far today in Exodus 32, but that's okay.

We'll just pick up right there next time.

We do not spend any time on these radio programs soliciting funds, trying to raise money, asking you for financial help.

Oh, it's not, it's not because we have this great gold mine out behind our church building.

We just pray, trust God to move upon the hearts of his people to help us carry on this work, reaching now almost 150 nations on six continents.

We've still we've still not heard from anyone in Antarctica, but the other six continents have all checked in.

And so we thank you.

Thank you so much for your help.

If you'd like to write to us, our mailing address is 872 Glenwood Road.

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Until then, I'm Brother James.

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