Series:
Exodus
Title: The
Purpose for Sin and Death
Text: Ex
10: 1-2
Date:
March 11, 2018
Place:
SGBC, New Jersey
Exodus 10: 1: And the LORD said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh: for I have
hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I might shew these my
signs before him. 2: And that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of
thy son’s son, what things I have wrought in Egypt, and my signs which I have
done among them; that ye may know how that I am the LORD.
Sin and
death entered this world according to God’s purpose that God might show his
mighty works in the salvation of his people. Notice, who hardened Pharaoh’s
heart and the heart of his servants—God said, “I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants.” God left Pharaoh to Pharaoh’s own sinful will—therefore,
Pharaoh hardened his own heart. Then, since
Pharaoh would not believe on God, God justly hardened his heart so that Pharaoh
could not ever believe on God—it is called reprobation.
Be sure
to understand! Every sinner has the responsibility to believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ. But when scripture says Pharaoh would
not believe on God, it does not mean Pharaoh had the ability to believe on God
in the first place. He did not! Scripture
says, “The natural man receiveth not the
things of God…neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned.”
(1 Cor 2: 14) Men object saying that
God will not hold us responsible to do what we do not have the ability to do. The law of our land does it every day. Next
time the creditor sends a bill, tell him since you do not have the ability to
pay therefore you are not responsible to pay.
Yet, God
never made Pharaoh sin against God. God
merely left Pharaoh to his own, natural, depraved will.
It was
Pharaoh who sinned against God because it was Pharaoh’s will to do so. God is
not the author of Pharaoh’s sin or anyone’s sin. God did not make Pharaoh sin. Pharaoh did what was Pharaoh’s own will to do
just like every sinner left to their own will.
Still, even
in rebelling against God, Pharaoh fulfilled God’s eternal purpose. Pharaoh did
exactly what God determined before to be done.
It is obvious it was God’s purpose because God told Moses beforehand exactly
what Pharaoh would do and God told Moses it was according to God’s purpose—“that I might shew these my signs before
him.”
The same
was true of Adam in the garden—and that was before sin and death had entered in.
God did not make Adam sin in the garden; God merely let Adam do Adam’s own
will. It was Adam’s own will to side
with his wife rather than God. Adams will was to break God’s law and plunge all
his family—you and me and all mankind—into sin and death.
Still, Adam’s
rebellion was according to God’s eternal purpose. It was what God determined
before to be done. We see that it was
God’s purpose by the fact that God told Adam beforehand exactly what Adam would
do. God said,
Genesis 2:17: But of the tree of the knowledge of good
and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof
thou shalt surely die.
God’s
purpose in Adam’s sin was the same as God’s purpose in Pharaoh’s sin—“that I might shew these my signs before
him.”
All
unregenerate sinners boast of their free will. They want to be left to their
own will. But even when man was upright
with no sin, left to our own will, man always sins against God. Still, though
it does not excuse our sin, all man’s sin fulfills what God determined before
to be done; God’s eternal purpose.
Romans 9: 19:
Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted
his will? 20: Nay but, O man,
who art thou that repliest against God?
Not one
of man’s idol gods are able to declare the end from the beginning like the true
and living God. God challenges every idol god, saying,
Isaiah 41: 22:
Let them…shew us what shall happen: let them shew the former things, what they be,
that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them; or declare us things
for to come. 23: Shew the things
that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods: yea, do
good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, and behold it together.
Isaiah 44: 7: And who, as I, shall call, and shall
declare it, and set it in order for me, since I appointed the ancient people?
and [declare] the things that are coming, and shall come, let them shew unto
them.
God’s
eternal purpose in allowing Adam to sin and plunge all men into sin and death was
the same as God’s purpose in allowing Pharaoh to sin. God said, “That I might shew these my signs before him.
And that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son’s son, what
things I have wrought in Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; that
ye may know how that I am the LORD.”
Proposition:
God purposed from eternity and allowed sin and death to enter the world that
God might show his mighty works in saving his people from our sins so that
those who God saves might declare his gospel to our children.
DECLARE THE GOSPEL TO OUR CHILDREN
Exodus 10: 1…that I might shew these my signs
before him: 2: And that thou
mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son’s son,…
Everything
God works in salvation he works that his people might declare the gospel to our
children.
In Moses
day, after redeeming the children of Israel from Egypt’s bondage, God commanded
they offer certain sacrifices and observe certain ceremonies which pictured
their redemption by the LORD. Also, God gave them the ordinance of the Passover.
That was their way of hearing the gospel preached. Both were to constantly put
them in remembrance of redemption accomplished by the LORD. And both served
another purpose. God told Moses,
Exodus 13: 8:
And thou shalt shew thy son in that day, saying, This is done because of
that which the LORD did unto me when I came forth out of Egypt…14: And it shall be when thy son
asketh thee in time to come, saying, What is this? that thou shalt say
unto him, By strength of hand the LORD brought us out from Egypt, from the
house of bondage:…
Today we
are not to offer those sacrifices and observe the ceremonies because Christ is
the fulfillment. Today, we come to hear
the gospel of Christ our Redeemer preached. And Christ our Passover has
replaced the ordinance of the passover with the Lord’s Table. But we are to constantly attend the preaching
of the gospel of Christ our Redeemer and to observe the Lord’s Table for the
same reason as they: one, to keep us constantly in remembrance of what Christ accomplished
for us and two, when we go home from
here,
Exodus 13: 14: And it shall be when thy son asketh thee…saying, What is this? that thou shalt say unto
him…By strength of hand the LORD brought us out…from the house of bondage:…
Over and
over throughout the scripture God reminded them to hear this gospel preached in
their sacrifices and to observe the Passover then to go home and teach the
meaning to their children. And God blessed it and saved his elect sons and
daughters. Generations later, the Psalmist wrote:
Psalm 78: 1:
Give ear, O my people, to my law [my gospel]: incline your ears to the
words of my mouth. 2: I will
open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old: 3: Which we have heard and known, and
our fathers have told us. 4: We
will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to
come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he
hath done. 5: For he established
a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our
fathers, that they should make them known to their children: 6: That the generation to come might
know them, even the children which should be born; who
should arise and declare them to their children: 7: That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works
of God, but keep his commandments:
In the
day of Moses, they heard the gospel preached in divers manners and then they
taught their children and God saved some of their children. In David’s day, they heard the gospel
preached in divers manners and then they taught their children and God saved
some of their children. In these last
days, God has spoken to us by his Son through the preaching of the gospel and as
we teach our children God has saved some of our children. (Heb 1: 1-2)
Brethren,
it is the responsibility of faithful fathers and mothers to have our children
under the preaching of the gospel and to teach them the gospel in our homes. If
you do not have children look around. You
have many children in these young people.
We cannot make them believe and that is not our responsibility. Our responsibility is to see that this world
does not interfere with them hearing the gospel preached and go home and teach
them the truth afterward.
Growing
up there were always bulletins and gospel books all through my parent’s
house. There was a gospel message
playing as my mother cleaned the house.
My grandfather was constantly teaching me the gospel. And God blessed
it. These are things we ought to do for
our children.
When I
was in Tennessee there was a young man who was around fourteen. He began coming to my house to go night
fishing. It did not take long to figure
out that he was not interested in fishing.
He was interested in me showing him the gospel from the scriptures. It was not that alone that God used. He used
the preaching of the gospel in conjunction with our trips to the fishing
hole. But God saved that young man and
he is a faithful member of the church in Tennessee to this day, having his wife
and children under the preaching of the gospel.
THE MESSAGE WE ARE TO DECLARE
Exodus 10: 2: And that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy
son’s son, what things I have wrought in Egypt, and my signs which I have done
among them
What are
we to preach and teach our children? The message God will have us to declare to
our children are God’s works—“And that
thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son’s son, what things I
have wrought in Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them.” The message of how sinners are saved is
not the message of man’s person and works but of God’s person and works.
Psalm 78: 4: We will not hide them from their children,
shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength,
and his wonderful works that he hath done.
Psalm 145:5: I will speak of the glorious honour of thy
majesty, and of thy wondrous works.
The
message we preach and teach our children is the message of the glorious honor
and majesty of Christ’s person. He is the fullness of the Godhead bodily. Jesus
Christ is over all, God blessed for ever.
He is the Son of God and the Son of Man in one glorious person.
John 1: 1: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word
was with God, and the Word was God…14: And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt
among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the
Father,) full of grace and truth.
Isn’t it
amazing! God over all, became our Surety—the Surety of chosen sinners like us
that the Father gave unto him! Isn’t it
amazing that he who is God came down and was made one in nature with his elect
people that he might make us one with Holy God, partakers of his divine
nature! The GodMan Mediator is the
Daysmen who is God and Man in one who was able to bring God and his people
together in one.
We preach
and teach our children “his strength, and
his wonderful works that he hath done.” God
the Father chose his people freely and blessed us with all blessing according
as he chose us in Christ! Then the Son
of God took flesh and lived righteously under his own law as the humble servant
of God, with all his people in him. When the time came to pay our sin-debt he
gave himself to be made sin for us—the just for the unjust—despising the shame. Yet,
for the joy of his people set before him, our substitute drank the bitter cup
of God’s fury to the dregs and wrung them out.
Now, the
glorified GodMan reigns over heaven and earth being Head over all things to the
church, filling all in all. Our
glorified Head gave us pastors after his own heart. We have this place to
worship due to Christ.
Romans 10: 13:
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14: How then shall they call on him in
whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they
have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15: And how shall they preach, except
they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach
the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
Ephesians 4: 8: Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up
on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. 9: (Now that he ascended, what is it
but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? 10: He that descended is the same also
that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) 11: And he gave some, apostles; and
some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12: For the perfecting of the saints,
for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 13: Till we all come in the unity of
the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the
measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: 14: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and
fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and
cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 15: But speaking the truth in love,
may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: 16: From whom the whole body fitly
joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to
the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body
unto the edifying of itself in love.
Through
his gospel, Christ sent forth the Holy Spirit into our hearts to bear witness
of him. Through his gospel, the Holy Spirit formed Christ in us so that we live
and believe on him. Christ promises “I
give unto them eternal life and no man
is able to pluck them out of my hand; my Father which gave them me is greater
than all and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my
Father are one!”
One day
soon he shall present each and every one of his blood bought brethren “to himself, a glorious church, not having
spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but…holy and without blemish.” (Eph 5: 27)
This is
the message God will have us declare to our children.
THE REASON WE TEACH GOD’S WORKS
EXODUS 10: 2:…that ye may know
how that I am the LORD.
Our
Savior, our Salvation from all our enemies, is the LORD God of heaven and
earth.
Our salvation is accomplished by his works alone: God the Father
chose us by his grace, Christ the
Son redeemed us by his grace, and
the Holy Spirit regenerated us by his grace. When this message is made
effectual in the heart then you know what Jonah knew, “Salvation is of the LORD.”
Psalm 3:8: Salvation belongeth unto the LORD: thy
blessing is upon thy people. Selah.
Psalm 37:39: the salvation of the righteous is of the
LORD: he is their strength in the time of trouble.
Psalm 68:20: He that is our God is the God of salvation;
and unto GOD the Lord belong the issues from death.
Those who
preach man’s works for righteousness and/or holiness shall change their message
in the day of judgment when God makes them confess the truth. But in that day and for all eternity the
message of those God saves will be the same as it was since the day he taught
us this gospel.
Revelation 7: 9:
After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of
all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne,
and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; 10: And cried with a loud voice,
saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. 11: And all the angels stood round
about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell
before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, 12: Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and
thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever
and ever. Amen.
Brethren,
may God enable us to bring our children to hear the gospel preached and then
teach our children. May he enable us to
teach them the works of our LORD alone.
And may he make us and them to
know he is the LORD—our Salvation!
Amen!