God, Holy and Redeeming

So we're going to begin our worship now. We're going to sing, first of all, tonight from Psalm 96a.

Psalm 96a on page 126. The tune is Strakathro, verses 1 to 10.

O sing a new song to the Lord, sing praises to His name, and His salvation day by day let all the earth proclaim.

His glory and His mighty deeds to every land declare, How great and awesome is the Lord, with Him no gods compare.

And that's Psalm 96a, verses 1 to 10. If we stand to sing, if you're able, please.

O sing a new song to the Lord, sing praises to His name.

And that's Psalm 96a, verses 1 to 10.

And that's Psalm 96a, verses 1 to 10.

The Lord, in heaven's high.

Of our grand majesty, He has it.

He dwells in glorious light.

All nations to the Lord, ascribe the glory that is due.

And He Him, we go and share, How pure and saith to God, How pure and thee É

His choice with joy and faith, and offering with you.

Worship the Lord, and holy fear, all the land before Him bow.

Tell them, we land, the Lord is King, established is the earth, and cannot do.

The Lord will judge, that we need the sin is true.

Let's now engage in prayer. Let's all call upon the name of the Lord.

Our gracious and almighty God, as we gather once again here in your presence this evening,

we thank you for the many promises that meet us as we come around your word.

We thank you especially for the promise of your presence,

for you are pleased, Lord, to present yourself among your people,

to reveal yourself to them through your word, through the operation of your Holy Spirit.

We thank you, Lord, as we anticipate such a blessing once again this evening,

for we need to take your word at face value,

and believe your promises as they're set out for us.

We thank you, Lord, for that prospect.

We thank you for the way in which that presence of God

truly sanctifies our hearts,

and sanctifies even our place of worship.

We bless you tonight, Lord, that you are worthy of our worship.

You have revealed this to us in your word,

all the reasons why we come to worship you,

and ascribe praise and glory and thanksgiving to you.

We acknowledge you, Lord, as our creator,

the one who has brought us into being,

the one who formed us in our mother's womb,

the one who took charge of our destiny from our conception

and right through to our end in death.

Lord, we give thanks that we can come and place ourselves anew in your hands this evening.

And we know that to do so places ourselves in the custody

and the security that you provide for your people.

Lord, we thank you that you have remembered us,

poor sinners who are lost without you,

that you have not cast us away from you,

even though this is what we would deserve.

And you have remembered us in your pity,

look down upon us in your compassion,

and especially that you have provided for us

a deliverance, a salvation from our sins

to bring us into that wonderful state of redemption.

We thank you tonight, Lord, for your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

And we bless you, Lord, as our Father in heaven,

that you sent your Son into this world,

that you sent him in such a way as took our nature to himself,

forevermore binding together the deity that he had from all eternity

and the humanity that he took to himself

to be formed and fashioned as a man.

Lord, we give thanks for the wonder of his person,

the glory of his person,

the beauty of his person,

the sinlessness of his person.

And we thank you especially for all that has been achieved

through his work here in this world,

for all that he continues to do in this intercession from heaven

as he remembers his people.

Lord, we pray tonight that we may know you

as that Lord and Savior of your church,

that we may know you for ourselves in such a way

as would fall before you in adoration and in awe and praise,

and truly be persuaded that you are the only God

and that you are the only God we need.

We thank you tonight, Lord,

for every way in which your blessing reaches us from day to day,

from week to week in the course of life.

When we reflect, Lord,

on each Lord's Day at the beginning of each new week,

we can cast our minds back to many ways

in which we have come to experience your blessing.

Lord, we acknowledge with shame

that so often we receive gifts and blessings from you

that we are sometimes all too unaware of,

and that our lives are so filled with things

that we do from day to day

that we take so little time to pause

and to reflect upon the goodness of God.

Lord, forgive us, we pray,

for when our lives fail to give you the thanks,

fail to give you the trust

that you are worthy of.

And remember us then, Lord,

we pray this evening

so that we will dwell in your presence for a time

and that we will know that having dwelt in your presence,

we leave this place, Lord, today

better than when we came,

improved in our relation with you

and with each other,

and grown in our knowledge of you,

in our appreciation and love for you,

and in our determination to serve you.

Bless us, Lord, we pray,

as a congregation during this coming week.

Lord, we give thanks for all the activities

that we anticipate during this week to come

as we do week by week.

And we thank you for all that this entails,

for the many encouragements it brings us

to see so many people actively engaged

in your service in the congregation.

And we do pray for all of these activities,

O Lord,

as they go on from week to week.

And we pray especially again

for the work going on amongst our children

and young people

and young adults.

We commend that to you

once again

and give thanks

for all the parents

and all the teachers

and all the leaders

who provide, Lord,

such encouragement for us.

And we're so concerned

to bring their young people

and children to church

and to experience for themselves

what it is to belong

to a believing

and worshiping congregation.

We remember, too,

O Lord,

tonight those who have

particular difficulties

and challenges in life.

Remember those

who are ill at this time.

Remember those

who are seriously ill.

Remember those

who may be terminally ill.

We commend them to you, O Lord,

and ask that you'd graciously

bless them all.

We pray that you'd bless

those who mourn

the passing of loved ones.

We think of these families,

Lord, tonight

who are preparing

for funerals

in these days to come.

Remember each

and all of these families,

Lord, we pray.

Grant them your blessing

and your comfort.

Grant to them

that you would draw near to them

and as they know

in their hurting hearts,

O Lord,

the reality of death

coming into their family circle.

May they know, too,

the reality

of your Holy Spirit,

blessing your word to them

and giving them

the comfort

and the upholding

and the strengthening

that you alone

are able to bring.

And we ask, too,

that you'd bless Shawnee,

who owns the county hotel.

And, Lord,

we know what took place

in the fire there last week.

And we, Lord,

pray for him

and pray for his staff

at this time

as they seek to adjust

and to move on

from that event.

We thank you

for the way that,

while the damage

was not insignificant,

yet we give thanks

that it was not worse

and was not what

it could have been.

We pray, Lord,

for all the emergency services,

especially the fire service

who took place,

who gave in a place

in their own place,

Lord,

who gave such valuable

assistance at that time.

And we commend to you

all our emergency services

as they serve us

in our community

from week to week.

We ask that you'll bless them.

We ask that you'll keep them safe,

especially at such times

as these,

oh, Lord,

when the potential for injury

is so much heightened.

And we thank you

for your protective care of them.

And we pray that you'll give

Shawnee and the staff

the means by which

they will move on

as the hotel,

whenever it reopens,

that they will know

your blessing

and know your provision

for them,

Lord,

in these days to come.

And we ask that you

would bless us now

as we continue

in your presence.

We think of other items,

Lord,

that were mentioned

in our bulletin sheet today.

We remember especially

Kenny John in Uganda.

And we pray for him

and we pray for the work

that he's involved with

and the different aspects

of that work.

And God is good Africa.

Remember him

and remember all

who work with him,

Lord,

and come alongside him

and remember all

who are helped

by that mission.

We pray too

for those families

in Uganda

who lost

their young ones,

oh, Lord,

so recently

in that terrible act

of violence.

Oh, Lord,

we pray that

you would draw near

to them

and that whatever

they may be in life,

we pray that they

will turn to you

and that they will know

your blessing

at this time

coming to speak

into their hurting souls.

And we ask

that you would,

as we are thankful,

Lord,

for a relative peace

that we experience,

remember all other places

like this

throughout the world

who today

cannot be peacefully

at rest

and who have violence

and terror

to contend with

each and every day

of their lives.

Gracious one,

bless our world,

bless our world

with the gospel,

bless our world

with the spreading

of that good news

of Jesus Christ,

bless our world

with peace,

the peace that comes

from above.

Grant these mercies

to us, we pray,

as we lay them all

before you

in our prayers,

seeking pardon

from all our sin,

for Jesus' sake.

Amen.

Let's continue

to praise God.

We're singing this time

from Psalm 138.

Our singing again

is from the Sing Psalms version.

Psalm 138

on page 179,

verses 1 to 6,

the tune is rocking him.

I'll praise you, Lord,

with all my heart.

Before the gods

I'll sing your praise.

I'll bow towards

your holy place

and bless your holy name

always.

Psalm 138

on page 179,

singing the verses

marked 1 to 6

to God's praise.

I'll praise you, Lord,

with all my heart.

Before the gods

I'll sing your praise.

I'll bow to your holy place

unless your holy name

always.

I'll praise you for your faithfulness

and for your God.

And for your God,

and for your love,

O Lord,

for over all things

you have praised

your holy name.

Your holy name,

your holy name,

unfaithful word.

The very day I call to you,

You gave an answer

to my plea.

You made me bold

within myself

with beauty song

You strengthened me.

O Lord,

let all

have kings

give praise

when from your mouth

they hear your word.

let them extol

the ways of God

for it's the glory

of the Lord.

Lord,

although the Lord

God dwells on high,

the lowly person

He protects,

whereas the proud

and for dim one

He knows how far

the heart we share.

Amen.

Our reading tonight

from God's Word

is from the book of Exodus.

Exodus chapter 2.

Exodus 2 · chapter mention

Just the last few verses

of Exodus chapter 2

Exodus 2 · chapter mention

from verse 23

and reading on into chapter 3

as far as verse 12.

Exodus chapter 2

Exodus 2 · chapter mention

So Exodus 2

at verse 23

During those many days

the king of Egypt died

and the people of Israel

groaned because of their slavery

and cried out for help.

Their cry for rescue

from slavery came up to God.

And God heard their groaning

and God remembered His covenant

with Abraham,

with Isaac and with Jacob.

God saw the people of Israel

and God knew.

Now Moses was keeping the flock

of his father-in-law Jethro,

the priest of Midian,

and he led his flock

to the west side

of the wilderness

and came to Horeb,

the mountain of God.

And the angel of the Lord

appeared to him

in a flame of fire

out of the midst of a bush.

He looked and behold

the bush was burning,

yet it was not consumed.

And Moses said,

I will turn aside

to see this great sight,

why the bush is not burned.

When the Lord saw

that he turned aside

to see,

God called to him

out of the bush,

Moses, Moses.

And he said,

Here I am.

Then he said,

Do not come near.

Take your sandals

off your feet,

for the place

on which you are standing

is holy ground.

And he said,

I am the God of your father,

the God of Abraham,

the God of Isaac,

and the God of Jacob.

And Moses hid his face,

for he was afraid

to look at God.

Then the Lord said,

I have surely seen

the affliction

of my people

who are in Egypt,

and I have heard their cry

because of their taskmasters.

I know their sufferings,

and I have come down

to deliver them

out of the hand

of the Egyptians,

and to bring them up

out of that land

to a good and broad land,

a land flowing

with milk and honey,

to the place

of the Canaanites,

the Hittites,

the Amorites,

the Perizzites,

the Hivites,

and the Jebusites.

And now behold,

the cry of the people

of Israel has come

to me,

and I have also seen

the oppression

with which the Egyptians

oppress them.

Come,

I will send you

to Pharaoh,

that you may bring

my people,

the children of Israel,

out of Egypt.

But Moses said to God,

Who am I that I should go

to Pharaoh,

and bring the children

of Israel out of Egypt?

He said,

But I will be with you,

and this shall be the sign

for you that I have sent you.

When you have brought

the people out of Egypt,

you shall serve God

on this mountain."

And so on.

Again, we pray for God's blessing

to follow our reading

of His Word,

and as we come to look

at this passage

in a short time.

We'll sing again

before then,

in Psalm 99,

in the Scottish Psalter,

Psalm 99,

that's on page 361.

We're singing verses 1 to 5,

the tune of Covenanters.

The eternal Lord

doth reign as King,

let all the people quake.

He sits between the cherubims,

let the earth be moved

and shake.

The Lord in Zion,

great and high above all people is.

Thy great and dreadful name,

for it is holy,

let them bless.

Psalm 99,

these verses 1 to 5.

May 10 enter as Emily

asto's a god maisnets,...

they are the great and part is

not in water in the 12th list.

Let the earth be moved and shake.

It sits between the cherubims.

Let the earth be moved and shake.

The Lord in Zion, great and high above,

All people is.

Thy great undreadful name for it is holy.

Let them bless.

His holy, let them bless.

His holy, let them bless.

Thy great undreadful name for it is holy.

Let them bless.

The King's strength also judgment,

And love's so setless equity.

Just judgment thou dost execute,

And Jacob righteous thee.

And Jacob righteous thee.

And Jacob righteous thee.

Just judgment thou dost execute,

And Jacob righteous thee.

The Lord has got exalted upon high,

And reverently to ye.

Before his boots to worship him,

The holy one is he.

The holy one is he.

The holy one is he.

Faith on his boots to worship him,

The holy one is he.

If you turn with me please now to Exodus chapter 3,

Exodus 3 · chapter mention

And this evening I'm going to look at verses 1 to 10.

Exodus chapter 3, verses 1 to 10.

Exodus 3:1–10

When you come to read verse 4 here of this chapter,

When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see God call to him out of the bush,

Moses, Moses.

That is the first time God had spoken for 400 years to the people of Israel.

The last time God spoke to the people of Israel before that

was back in Genesis 46, verses 1 to 4,

Genesis 46:1–4

where you find God addressing Jacob

as he prepared to go down to Egypt with his family.

And during those 400 years,

not a word had been heard of a revelation from God

to add to what he had said up to that point.

And now we're coming in Exodus 3

to the next stage of God's plan for his people.

It's not a new plan.

Nothing's changed in that respect.

But after all that time without hearing the voice of God,

God again comes to speak to them,

to reveal himself to them,

to give them instructions,

and to provide especially for them the leadership

that Moses is going to bring to them

to deliver them from Egypt

and from their bondage and slavery there.

In chapter 2, verses 24 to 25,

which we also read,

we see that God heard that groaning

and God remembered his covenant

with Abraham and Isaac and with Jacob.

And that takes you back to chapter 15 of Genesis.

Just flick through to there.

I'll just read the verses for you.

Chapter 15 of Genesis, verses 13 to 16,

where God there speaks to Abraham

and the promise that he gave to Abraham,

which is now being picked up again

as you come to Exodus chapter 3.

Exodus 3 · chapter mention

There in Genesis 15, at verse 13,

God spoke as following.

And following, he said to Abraham,

know for certain that your offspring

will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs,

that meant Egypt,

and will be servants there.

And they will be afflicted for 400 years.

But I will bring judgment on the nation

that they serve,

and afterwards they shall come out

with great possessions.

So it goes back to there,

to the promise given to Abraham.

And then all of this time,

since he spoke to Jacob shortly after that,

God had been silent.

And you can see that in chapter 3 here,

this is not a new plan that God is formulating.

It's not as if he's saying,

well, all these years have come to pass.

They're now past these 400 years,

and I haven't spoken a word

to reveal myself further.

So here is my new plan.

This has always been God's plan.

The 400 years of silence

were as much a part of God's plan

as anything else.

They fitted into that program

that God had for his people.

And so the whole thing is just one long chain

of events or non-events,

but everything is within the plan

that God had for them.

And for the past 80 years,

at this moment in this chapter 3 of Exodus,

for the previous 80 years before then,

God had been preparing one man,

this man Moses,

for the task of leading the people of Israel

out of their slavery in Egypt.

The remarkable career of Moses.

He was 40 when he had to flee from Egypt,

having killed an Egyptian,

and ended up in the land of area of Midian,

where he took a wife and had a son.

And now after that time,

40 years has elapsed,

and he's been in Midian for 40 years,

and God is sending him back to Egypt

to lead the people out.

And then the next 40 years of his life,

he'd be leading them through the desert

until they're in sight of the promised land.

Three periods of 40 years

in the life of this one man.

And all of that,

or the first two of these periods,

the 80 years,

are all to do with God preparing him

for this mammoth task

of taking the people,

leading the people out of Egypt.

And you notice in verse 1

what it says about him,

he was keeping,

shepherding the flock

of his father-in-law Jethro,

the priest of Midian,

and led his flock

to the west side of the wilderness,

and he came to Horeb,

the mountain of God.

Why does that strike you

as somewhat remarkable?

Well, if you go back to chapter 46,

it tells us what the people of Egypt

thought of shepherds.

When Joseph and his family

came down to Egypt,

chapter 46 and verse 34,

this is what Joseph instructed Jacob to say,

you shall say,

your servants have been keepers of livestock

from our youth even until now,

both we and our fathers,

in order that you may dwell

in the land of Goshen,

for every shepherd

is an abomination to the Egyptians.

Now, why is that important?

It's important because

when it came to Moses being here,

being sent back to Egypt,

having spent these years,

God preparing him

for this great task,

you can see from that

that God does not act

according to human wisdom.

If the question were asked,

what sort of person

would I prepare

if God were to ask us

to go back to Egypt

to lead my people out of Egypt,

you wouldn't actually think

of a shepherd.

You wouldn't think

that a shepherd

would have any place in Egypt

where shepherding

was an abomination to the people.

If you're going to ask the question

as you come into the New Testament,

what kind of woman

would actually bear

the humanity of our Lord,

the Son of God incarnate

as He came into this world,

what kind of woman

would give birth

to the Lord Jesus Christ?

You might say,

well, surely if He's the Son of God

as He is,

and He's coming to take

human nature to Himself,

surely it would be somebody

of a high status,

somebody like a princess.

No, He chose a poor woman

betrothed or engaged

to a man who was certainly

not worthy to Joseph.

And all of that reminds us tonight

of how God operates.

God does not actually pay attention

in that way,

in that sense,

to people who might think

of themselves as fit

and worthy to be used by God

in the advance of His kingdom.

Very often,

as Paul says to the Corinthians,

it's those things

that the world sees

as ignoble,

as too simple,

as just not worthy

to be considered at all.

The kind of people

that you would never place

in the world's standards

in a position

of meaningful importance.

No, God does that.

God takes people like you and I.

God takes people

who are just ourselves,

really nothing whatsoever

in His presence

in terms of ability,

but He takes us

and He puts us

and says,

right,

I'm choosing you

to be a servant,

to lead my people.

That's what He's saying here

about Moses.

God's choices

and God's methods,

they don't fit in

with worldly standards,

with worldly ideas,

with human wisdom

and human thinking.

He has His own mind

and His own mind

is always superior.

As He said to Isaiah,

my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are my ways

your ways.

So let's just be

in awe of God

and reflect tonight

upon how He operates

according to His standard,

to His knowledge,

to His wisdom

and carries through

His great plan

of redemption,

sometimes through people

that you wouldn't have thought

at all would be suitable

for fitting into that plan.

Well, two things

we want to look at here.

First of all,

how Moses meets with God

and some of what took place there

as he came to stand

in the vicinity

of this burning bush.

Moses meeting with God,

verses 2 to 5 of the chapter,

and then from verse 6 onwards,

we'll say something about

how God revealed Himself

to Moses.

So Moses meets with God

and God reveals Himself

to Moses.

Here you find in verse 2,

the angel of the Lord

appeared to him

in a flame of fire

out of the midst

of a bush.

And he looked,

and behold,

the bush was burning,

yet it was not consumed.

Here was this

remarkable phenomenon.

It wasn't a dream

that he had.

It wasn't something

that was unreal.

It wasn't something

that was other than

just literal,

actual,

a bush burning

there in the wilderness.

And it was on fire,

very much on fire,

and yet the wood,

the substance of that bush,

was not burnt up,

totally against

what normally happens.

When you light a fire,

whether it's wood

or whatever,

the fire devours

the material

that it burns upon

until it goes into ashes.

Well, here is a bush.

It was on fire.

Flames were appearing

out of it,

but it was not being burnt up.

It remained in its substance

the bush it had always been.

What did that indicate?

What is that about?

What does that teach us?

It's a famous symbol

as it was used

by the church

down through the ages.

Well, it indicated,

as we'll see,

that God's presence was there.

Look at what you read there.

The angel of the Lord

appeared to him

in the midst of a bush.

Now, the angel of the Lord,

as you know,

is a figure that appears

at different stages

in the Old Testament.

And sometimes he appears

and speaks for God,

but actually sometimes

he appears and speaks as God.

So, it's actually

a manifestation of God

in a certain appearance

in such a way

that takes the appearance

of the angel here,

or sometimes it could be

in the form of a human,

but the angel of the Lord

is a manifestation

by God of himself.

And it's not improper

to actually see it

as we treat it carefully.

It's a manifestation

of the second person

of the Trinity

who came to be incarnate,

to take out human nature

in Jesus Christ.

And if you carefully

protect the fact

that he only became incarnate

at that stage

we read of

in the New Testament,

it's still not illegitimate

to say that this was

a manifestation of God.

What came to be more clearly

the second person

of the Trinity

in the New Testament

taking out human nature

to himself.

That's a whole area

of theology.

It's something that has

been studied down

through the years

very profitably

and still has a lot

of mystery to it.

But here is the angel

of the Lord,

this figure,

appearing to him

in a flame of fire

out of the midst

of the bush.

Now, I think it's probably

better translating that

that the angel of the Lord

appeared to him

as a flame of fire.

As a flame of fire.

Not just in a flame of fire.

The angel of the Lord

appeared as a flame.

He took the form

of this flame

in the midst of this bush

that was burning

and was not consumed.

Now, as you know,

the Scottish church

took the burning bush

as its emblem

way back in history

and that still remains

with us.

And very often

it had the Latin inscription

underneath from

the Hebrew text here,

nektamin consumabater,

which means

yet it was not consumed

from the words

that you find there

in verse 2.

He looked,

the bush was burning,

yet it was not consumed.

And sadly,

I think when

our own church

reconfigured

the emblem

of the burning bush

that you find now,

it's just like

three flames

appearing,

but there's nothing there.

There are no words there.

The Latin phraseology

has been

just rubbed away.

There's nothing there,

which I think

is a great pity

because you cannot

really understand

the symbol

without the words.

And the words

actually mean

nektamin consumabater

means

yet it was not consumed.

It takes you

to the whole essence

of what happened here

in the days of Moses.

That's a bit of a moan,

but never mind.

It's something

that I think is important

in its own right.

Anyway,

what it represented

was that

not so much

the bush

representing

the church

and persecution

represented

by the flames,

and yet the church

was not destroyed.

That's how it was

traditionally looked at,

but I think it's better

really to,

if we can be so bold

as to say,

that it's better

to regard

the flames

in the bush

as indicative

of the presence

of God.

The presence

of God

in His people

or in the midst

of His people,

and yet they are not

consumed,

which itself

is a remarkable thing,

that God should actually

dwell in the midst

of a sinful people

that He makes holy,

and yet they are not

consumed.

They are not brought

under His wrath

in such a way

as just lays upon them

what they deserve

for their sins.

So you see here,

God called them,

in verse 4,

out of the bush.

In other words,

the bush there

and the flames

in the bush

were to do

with the presence

of God,

the holy burning

presence of God.

And while the bush

was not consumed,

there is a representation

for you

of the miracle

of the wonder

of grace

that God comes

to live

in the midst

of His people

as the holy God

because He doesn't

change His holiness.

He doesn't actually

leave His holiness

as it were aside

or limit that holiness

in any sense

in order to dwell

amongst us

as a people.

It is the holy God,

the God who is

as holy today

as He was

in the days of Moses,

as He was

from all eternity.

He was perfectly holy,

righteous,

pure.

And this is the God

who dwells today

with His people

and in the midst

of His people.

And God called Him

out of the midst

of the bush.

So there you find

this remarkable phenomenon.

So remarkable

that Moses

went to draw near

to the bush.

It drew his attention.

It stimulated

his curiosity.

How could this be?

How could there be

such a thing

as a bush

in the desert

burning really

with fire,

with real fire,

and yet that bush

is not consumed?

The wood

is not being burnt up.

What is this?

Moses turned aside

to see.

He said,

I will turn aside

to see

this great sight

why the bush

is not burned.

When the Lord

saw that he turned aside

to see,

God called to him

out of the bush

and said,

Moses, Moses,

and he said,

here am I.

He said,

don't come near.

Take your sandals

off your feet

for the place

on which you are standing

is holy ground.

Moses is stopped

as he seeks

to draw near

to get a closer

look at this

remarkable bush.

And God stops him.

God stops him

by calling out

his name,

Moses.

Moses.

And it's actually

a personal summons

where God is speaking

to Moses

and actually stopping

him at that moment

by repeating his name

which really

is a summons

to him to come

and pay attention

to what God

is now going to say.

And that's really

where our service

of God begins,

isn't it,

for ourselves.

We come to serve God

not because we wake up

one day and say,

I think it would be

a good idea

to be a Christian

or I think it would be

a good idea

to be a minister

in the church.

That's not where

our service begins.

It begins in our

meeting with God.

It begins with God

bringing us

to know himself,

to be interviewed

by himself,

to speak to him

and for him to speak

to us through his word.

And it doesn't matter

whether we're in pulpits

or whether like yourselves

you serve God

in different ways.

That's where our service

begins.

It begins with our

personal meeting

with God,

our personal relationship

with God,

our personal meeting

with God

in such a way

as reveals himself

to us savingly.

And as we come

to be saved

and brought to know him

through Jesus Christ,

he sets us on our way

to serve him.

And that's where

our service begins.

And that is

very important.

And Moses responds,

Here I am.

You often find that

in different parts

of the Old Testament

especially

where God is addressing

someone like Moses

or maybe it's Isaiah

or others

where he calls to them

and repeats their name

as summoning him

into his presence

and where their

immediate response is,

Here I am.

Here am I.

In other words,

Moses is standing there

ready to serve,

responding to the call

of God,

responding to the voice

that speaks to him

out of the bush,

the voice he knows

is the voice of God.

Here I am.

And God says to him,

Do not come near.

Take your sandals

off your feet

for the place

on which you are standing

is holy ground.

It wasn't holy ground before.

It wouldn't necessarily

be holy ground afterwards.

Why is it holy ground

there and then?

It is holy ground

because God is there.

It's holy ground

because the holy God

is there.

It's holy ground

because God has chosen

to make his presence

live there

for that moment at least.

That's what makes

a person holy

when God comes

to bring them

to himself,

to reveal himself

to them,

sanctifies them,

sets them apart,

lives in their lives.

That's what makes

a place a holy place.

A holy place

is not a place

because it's associated

with something in the past,

something to do

with religion.

It's not a holy place

because people have chosen

to regard it

and label it as holy.

There are many places

in the world today

where there are no longer

church services

or any services held at all

where there are just

empty buildings

and people will tell you,

no, you go into that place

and it just feels so different.

It feels so holy.

Well, maybe that's the case.

But what makes a place holy

it's the presence of God.

And when God is in a place,

that place is holy

while God makes His presence

known there,

while God is present there

here tonight.

God's presence.

God being in a place

through His people

or in His people,

it renders this place sacred.

It's not sacred

because of its history.

It's not sacred

because of whose congregation

actually uses it.

It is sacred

because it's associated

with the divine presence of God.

And when God is present,

as Moses has instructed,

you approach very carefully.

you pay regard

to what God's presence

is about

and whose presence it is.

This holy God,

this pure God.

He had to take off

His sandals of His feet

because I think His sandals

would have had

some dirt on them,

some dust on them.

That would have been itself

a representation,

if you like,

of defilement.

And He wasn't to carry that

into the presence of God.

Take off your sandals

for the place on which

you're standing

is holy ground.

And whenever we come

into the presence of God,

we should be conscious

that we're always coming

into holy ground,

onto holy ground.

We're coming to deal

with God ourselves

in our personal,

individual sense.

We don't draw near to God

and stand as if we had

a right to His audience.

We don't come into His presence

without being conscious

of the defilement of our sin,

even when we know

that our sin has been forgiven,

that we are cleansed

by the blood of Christ,

that we are His people.

We still come into His presence

and we acknowledge His holiness.

We acknowledge His perfect holiness

because His holiness

has not changed.

Even if He's changed

our lives for the good,

you still come into

the presence of God

and you do what Moses did.

He hid His face.

You come with humility

and you come with confession

of your uncleanness.

Why do we still,

in prayer,

ask God to cleanse us,

to forgive us our sins,

to make us holy

because we're coming

into the presence of God

and we're conscious

of our defilement,

of our sinfulness,

of the dirt of our sin.

And we appear before God

and say,

Lord,

as such a person as I am,

as a sinner in myself,

I am not worthy

that I should come

into Your presence.

I need to,

Lord,

ask You to

cleanse me,

to prepare me

to meet with You,

to prepare my heart

that I'm coming

to meet with this holy God.

And if there's one thing

that's wrong with the world,

and if I may say

if there's one thing

that's wrong with

the wider church

throughout the world,

it's that we've lost sight

of the holiness of God

and lost sight

of what the holiness

of God means

and what the holiness

of God imposes upon us

in terms of our approach

to Him.

I don't mean that

we should be legalist

or legalistic,

that we should actually

be just formally

coming before God

in a fashion

that would formally

acknowledge that

this is the holy God.

What I mean is

when we come to

the presence of God

consciously,

and really dealing

seriously and earnestly

in our hearts

with who God is

and what God is like.

How dare we come

into His presence

if we were to do so

at any time

without due preparation

and due thought

and due prayer.

Because our God is holy.

And as our God is holy,

we have to treat Him

with that respect

and awe

and worship

that He is worthy of.

And so here is Moses

meeting with God.

The burning bush

draws his attention.

God speaks to him

and the angel of the Lord

out of the midst

of that bush.

He hears the words of God.

And what we'll see now

from verse 6

is what God added

to what He said.

He instructed him

regarding taking off

the sandals of His feet

and that the place

He was standing in

was holy ground.

But that was just

the introduction.

And then he went on

to add to that

the substance

of the message

or the revelation

God had for him

and it was this.

He said,

I am the God

of your father,

the God of Abraham,

the God of Isaac,

and the God of Jacob.

And the Lord said,

I have surely seen

the affliction

of my people

who are in Egypt

and so on.

So you see,

God is revealing Himself

here to Moses

as the covenant God

of His people.

That's why I said

early on in our study

tonight that

this is not a new plan.

This is not a different God

to the God

that Abraham,

Isaac,

and Jacob worshipped.

He is actually emphasizing

to Moses,

I am that God.

And despite the fact

that 400 years

have gone by

when I haven't said

a word

to the people

you belong to,

I am still

the same God,

I am still

the same covenant God,

I am still committed

to these people

in the covenant,

promises that I made

to Abraham,

Isaac,

and Jacob.

That's why He calls them

in verse 7,

my people.

I have surely seen

the affliction

of my people

who are in Egypt.

Now one of the things

that you and I

should be deeply

thankful for tonight

is that we are not

dealing with

a different God

to the God

that Moses came to know

and Abraham,

Isaac,

and Jacob knew.

He's the same covenant God.

He's the God

who has not changed

in terms of His covenant promises

and His covenant dealings

with His people

down through all of these

thousands of years.

He's the same God

to you tonight

as He was to Moses.

He hasn't changed.

His promises haven't changed.

His objectives

have not changed.

His purpose

has not changed.

And tonight

you're thankful

that you don't deal

with a God

who is fluctuating

from one moment

to the next,

from one year

to the next,

who actually says,

well, I'm not going to be

to you today

what I was yesterday

or last year.

I am the God

of your Father,

the God of Abraham,

the God of Isaac,

and the God of Jacob.

If there's one thing

that characterizes

this God

we worship tonight,

it's His consistency.

His consistency

as the Holy God

committed to His covenant,

committed to His promises,

committed to bringing

His people out of slavery,

committed to bringing

them home

to be with Himself.

Now you see,

Moses has gone

from curious

to being in awe.

He hid his face

for he was afraid

to look upon God.

And as we said

a minute ago,

that's really

taking us

to the heart

of worship,

isn't it?

Worship is not

something you just

follow through

mechanically.

We don't sing

the Psalms

just in a formal

fashion mechanically

without really thinking

of what we're saying.

And even if we're thinking

of what we're saying,

we don't just sing them

as if it was just

a matter of routine.

We sing them

as part of our

relationship with God.

We sing them

and we read His Word

and we proclaim His Word

and we listen to His Word

because we live

in awe and obedience

and humility

in the presence of God.

We hide our face,

as it were.

We're afraid

to look upon God.

And yet God

has revealed Himself

so wonderfully

in the person

of Jesus Christ

which is saying

to you tonight,

you can approach Me.

You can come to Me.

You can come to Me

through Him.

You can come into My presence.

I've made provision for you.

You are safe

in the grace

that is in My Son.

Is there any greater privilege

than that?

You know,

if you know your heart

and I know my heart

as surely we do tonight

as sinful human beings,

one of the things

that should impose

the greatest wonder on us

is that we can come

into the presence of God.

That we can live

in fellowship with God.

That we can be represented

by this burning bush

in which God dwells,

in which the flame

of God's presence,

God's living presence

is there

and yet we are not consumed.

We are not swallowed up

and devoured

in God's wrath

against sin.

Why?

Because of Jesus Christ.

Because He is our shield.

He is our exceeding

great reward.

In Him,

we come into the presence

of God

and through Him,

we hold that relationship

with Him

that His grace

has opened for us.

So there's your covenant,

God.

And God will not change.

Whatever happens

in your life,

however different

your life may be tomorrow

from what it is today,

whatever events

in your life

may yet lie in wait

for you in God's providence

that you have never

experienced before,

whatever depths of pain

or challenge

or difficulty

await you on life's journey,

and we cannot predict these.

But I guarantee you,

and you can guarantee

for yourself

on the basis

of God's Word

and what God's Word

says about Himself,

that this is what is true

always of you

when you are in Christ,

when you know Him

as your Savior.

I am the God

of Abraham,

Isaac,

and Jacob.

I will remain

the same to you.

I will be faithful to you.

I will never change

my relationship with you.

You are my people.

Here's the wonder of grace,

this covenant God.

He's not just

the covenant God,

though.

He is the concerned God.

Concerned,

I mean in the sense

of being involved

with His people.

Because look what He goes on

to speak of here

from verses 7

through to verse 10.

I have surely seen

the affliction of my people

who are in Egypt,

and I've heard their cry

because of their taskmasters.

I know their sufferings.

I have come down

to deliver them

out of the hand

of the Egyptians

and to bring them up

out of that land

to a good and broad land,

a land flowing

with milk and honey.

There are four elements there

that are themselves

wonderful

in the truth of them.

He says,

I have surely seen

the affliction

of my people.

Where has God been

for 400 years?

He hasn't spoken

for 400 years.

Where has He been?

What's He been doing?

He's been looking

at His people.

He's been intensely

interested in His people.

The 400 years gap

of speaking

is no indication

that God has forgotten them,

that somehow or other

they have fallen out

of God's favor

or God's view.

I have seen,

surely seen the affliction.

I have certainly seen

the affliction

of my people.

God's eye

is never off His people.

Whatever His providence

has ordered for them.

There's another

wonderful jewel

that you can put up

and hold

in the casket

of your heart.

I have surely seen

your affliction.

There isn't a drop

of suffering

in your life

as a Christian

that has not already

been entered

into God's record book,

that God has not

taken careful note of,

that God is unaware of.

I have surely seen

the affliction

of my people.

And then He says,

and I have heard

their cry.

I have heard their cry

because of their taskmasters.

In other words,

not only has God

been taking note

of where they are

and what's being done

to them

and the suffering

they're going through,

He has heard their cry.

He has actually been moved

by their pained cries.

I don't let anybody think

or tell you

that God

is a God

who is so stiffly

in regard of His people

that He's on the borders

of their lives,

looking from a distance

into their lives,

but really totally unmoved

by anything

they're going through.

I have heard

their cry

and I know

their sufferings.

He's been moved

by their predicament,

by their conditions.

And I know

their sufferings.

What a God!

What a privilege

they have

that despite all the fact

that they haven't heard

from Him

for 400 years,

He has all the time

had His eye upon them.

And He's now saying to them,

I know what you're going through.

I've heard your cry.

I haven't just listened to it,

but I've heard it

in a way that's moved me

to pity you.

And here I am.

I'm ready to come

to your rescue.

Well, there is God

for us tonight, friends.

And when you look at Jesus

and the fact that

that is God

having taken our nature

to Himself,

the person of the Son of God

who has come

to take our nature.

Why did He take our nature?

So that He would take our sins

and die for our sins.

But one of the other aspects

of that is that He would be

a faithful and merciful

High Priest.

That He would be able

to support us

in all our sufferings,

having been tempted

in all points

like as we are

and yet without sin.

That is the God

who is moved.

The God who takes note

carefully of our predicament

and our sufferings.

And who tonight

is assuring you

if you're experiencing suffering

on His behalf

for His sake.

God's not just

got a casual acquaintance

with you

or acquaintance

with your predicament.

He's taking stock

very carefully,

very lovingly,

in a very covenantal way

that this

is what His child

is going through.

And He's saying to you,

I'm here for you.

I know your suffering.

I know what you're going through.

And then He says,

I have come down

to deliver them

out of the hand

of the Egyptians,

to bring them out

of that land

to a good

and broad land.

I have surely seen

their affliction.

I have heard their cry.

I know their suffering.

And now,

fourthly,

He's saying,

I have come down.

There is God,

you see,

reminding Moses

that He's actually on high.

Here He is,

represented in the bush,

in the flame of the bush.

The voice is coming

from the midst of the bush.

But Moses is under no illusion,

left under no illusion

as to who God is

and where His position is.

I have come down

because I am up there.

I am the King.

I am the Creator.

I am the One

who controls all things.

I am the Sovereign God.

But I have come down.