Transcription downloaded from https://sermons.heritagesermons.org/sermons/27082/so-shall-we-be-separated-i-and-thy-people-quality-very-good/.

Disclaimer: this is an automatically generated machine transcription - there may be small errors or mistranscriptions.
Please refer to the original audio if you are in any doubt.


[0:00] I must venture again in directing your thoughts to the book of Exodus, the 33rd chapter, reading verse 21.

[0:15] The book of Exodus, the 33rd chapter, reading verse 21. And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock.

[0:39] And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock.

[0:55] Very briefly, as the Lord may help me to come again to this very sacred subject, those present who, as you are helped by the Holy Spirit to remember, will know that we commence to speak from this subject and from the context on the last Lord's Day morning.

[1:30] And then we spoke of steps which Moses and every true child of God will be brought to know by vital experience within their hearts.

[1:50] And that is, as Moses was made aware of electing love and mercy, as he was brought to be called by grace, as he knew what it was to be convinced of sin, and was brought to repentance, and as he and every living soul will be led by the Holy Spirit to Jesus.

[2:24] And as one has put it, the wounds of Jesus for my sin. We went on in the evening to then speak of another step, another sacred degree of experience which will be known by every true follower of the Lamb.

[2:49] And this, as they are brought to say with Moses in verse 13, Now therefore I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, show me now thy way that I may know thee.

[3:09] This will always accompany such an exercise. And how constantly living souls are brought to pray with Moses, If I have found grace in thy sight, show me now thy way that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight, and consider that this nation is thy people.

[3:40] Well, we spoke of this as helped last Lord's Day evening and went on before the close of that service to seek to bring the wondrous promise before those assembled that God himself spoke to his servant Moses.

[4:04] Would be a wonderful thing if God should speak this wondrous promise yet again to any of you that are gathered here this morning who may be in particular need.

[4:18] Here's the promise. And he said, My presence, think of it, and he said, My presence shall go with thee and I will give thee rest.

[4:34] Surely no more sacred promise is found in the word of God than this. And everyone that receives it will certainly come with Moses trembling before God because when God speaks a sacred promise into the hearts of sinners it will make them tremble and it will make them rejoice.

[5:05] They will know what it is to have a contrite heart and broken as they receive a promise from the almighty God. And it will not make them presumptuous.

[5:18] It will make them more exercised than ever. And so they will say as Moses said, If thy presence go not with me carry us not up hence.

[5:32] then on Wednesday evening we continue to speak of a further step that Moses must take and again everyone that is truly blessed of God will also take.

[5:50] In these words wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight is it not in that thou goest with us?

[6:07] When God speaks a promise into the hearts of his people it does not stop there but they will then be found waiting and watching before the Lord to see him fulfil the promise that has been given.

[6:25] It will be used of God to give them more exercise than ever. And so how they'll watch the Lord's hand as they proceed as they go forward they'll watch to see whether the Lord is with them.

[6:41] We mentioned this in a number of ways on Wednesday evening just as an illustration once more with the Lord's people as they move into a new home and all that it means and all the exercise that they will have concerning it well if God gives them a promise gives them this promise my present shall go with thee and I will give thee rest.

[7:07] It's not left there when they move into their new home they watch to see whether God is there whether he's fulfilling his word and so it is in every aspect of life.

[7:20] In whatever way God speaks his word as a promise so his people will wait upon him and wait for him to see him fulfill his word which he will most surely do.

[7:37] And then also in closing on Wednesday evening the effect of being brought into the presence of God as he was to enjoy communion to open his very soul to God to tell him everything and as he felt the presence of God with him then out of a full heart he says so shall we be separated I and thy people from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.

[8:14] Dear friends gracious separation from the world separation from the power of evil is something that is known very feelingly as sinners are brought near to their God in Jesus Christ.

[8:34] The nearer we are found to our Lord the more separated we shall be from everything. I repeat it the more separated we shall be from everything that is wrong from every evil it is when we are brought into the presence of Christ this will keep us from evil when he is near.

[9:01] The very opposite will bring the opposite in our life and in our experience we shall be immersed in the world drowned in the things of it can think of nothing else and thinking of it in another aspect we shall be found like Martha and I know that the Lord loved her as much as he loved Mary and Lazarus but that that dear woman and who is there upon the face of the earth that has not known something of the same thing as Martha on that occasion when her whole thought and attention was taken up with preparing a meal and looking after her Lord.

[9:46] But the point was this it was Martha's spirit that was wrong. Friends we can we can do right things but if we do them with a wrong spirit we cannot expect blessing to follow.

[10:07] Hope you'll always remember this. You see there's such a difference in doing right things with a right spirit. The spirit of Christ but to be left to do right things in our own spirit and if we do it will be in a self-righteous spirit.

[10:26] We cannot expect God's blessing upon such things. well just a brief thought or two as the Lord may help me before I pass to what I must seek to continue with but this subject of separation so shall we be separated I and thy people from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.

[10:59] It will mean this that whilst we shall seek to act rightly with our neighbours with those we work with with those that we come into contact with we shall be more concerned than ever how we are with our neighbours and those we mix with and work with and come into contact with if we are found in the presence of Christ how we shall seek to do good unto all men especially the household of faith we shall be very concerned that we may live our life to the honour and glory of God that we may show forth from day to day the praises of him that has called us out of nature's darkness into his marvellous night but at the same time dear friends where the grace of God is and where the love of Christ is shed abroad within the heart there will be separation in our hearts and in our lives from everything that is God dishonouring from everything that is opposed to the teaching of his holy word and the

[12:13] Lord said and we read this and I just read it again to you this morning it is the word of God and it is very important teaching and we need to hear it and the truth is this be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness and what communion hath light with darkness and what concord hath Christ with Belial and I hope you will understand this and what concord hath Christ with the devil or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel and what agreement hath the temple of God with idols for ye are the temple of the living God as God hath said I will dwell in them and walk in them and I will be their God and they shall be my people wherefore come out from among them and be ye separate saith the

[13:23] Lord and touch not the unclean thing and I will receive you and will be a father unto you and ye shall be my sons and daughters saith the Lord Almighty and just a further word here ye cannot serve God and mammon dear friends the Lord preserve us from trying to hold the world in one hand and the things of God in the other I wonder if there are any of you here this morning that are distressed and cast down because you do not receive the blessing that you long for now the

[14:31] Lord knows the cause and there are many causes but one thing in connection with the subject is this you will never receive the blessing that you long for until the Lord completely separates you from everything in your life that is God dishonouring blessing you cannot expect God's blessing if there are things in our lives that are standing in the way of blessing we shall have to get rid of them we shall have to come away from them if we are to be blessed and he that will not for my sake relinquish all unworthy name now that's what it means we shall only be separated by the grace of

[15:32] God and as I speak of this I not only think of all the things that are in this world which we are attracted by or can be attracted by what one poor sinner is attracted by another is not but the Lord will show you he will reveal to you the things that are attractive to your flesh which bring about or bring a barrier between your soul and God but not only is it that that is outward but it's that that is inward oh the sins of our hearts the inward sins of our hearts which are a barrier to blessing oh we need them to be cleansed in the precious blood of Jesus now Moses then declared so shall we be separated I and thy people from all the people that are upon the face of the earth well I must leave this now and go on and the

[16:43] Lord said unto Moses I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken for thou hast found grace in my sight and I know the Lord here is answering Moses for what he had said to the Lord in verses 15 and 16 and I will not read it through again but Moses is that the Lord is answering Moses for what he had asked of him in verses 15 and 16 and really the Lord is further giving him a promise that he would be with him my presence shall go with thee and I will give thee rest now we come a little closer to the subject dear friends the more we are favoured in our souls to enjoy the presence of God to commune with Jesus as our friend to live upon him the nearer we shall be brought to God the nearer we shall be brought to a triune

[18:04] God Father Son and Holy Spirit you see the blessed effect of what the Lord had done for Moses emboldened him and encouraged him to go on and so it will be in her life now what then is next and he said this is Moses and he said I beseech thee show me thy glory and he said I beseech thee show me thy glory I would notice the wording here I beseech thee show me thy glory oh in times of awful persecution and in times of terror how many parents I think well it comes into my thoughts one thinks of the awful things that took place during the second world war in the extermination of thousands upon thousands of Jews which one would rightly add was yet a further fulfilment of God's word concerning them and the words of the people when they said release unto us

[19:31] Barabbas and his blood be upon us and upon our children oh the sufferings that the Jews have known and the awful sufferings in the concentration camps and in the gas chambers what it must have been and how parents would have pleaded for their children and in times of terror and persecution how loving parents would give their life when brought into this for their dear children and how under such things people would beseech their tormentors their persecutors they would beseech them to have mercy well how far far greater is the exercise of Moses heart here I beseech them show me thy glory glory well we have a very sacred subject and oh I do need help to bring it before you first of all wonder how many of us here feel our heart moved by

[20:53] Moses petition I wonder how many here have feelingly prayed with Moses I beseech thee show me thy glory show me thy glory and then you might perhaps be thinking like this well the bible says that no man shall see my face indeed it's found here God answering Moses thou canst not see my face for there shall no man see me and live what hope is there then of poor sinners seeing the glory of God well they can never see it with their mortal eye for that is in the face of God and so that I hope you'll understand in the face of God almighty as distinct from God the Son and God the Holy

[21:56] Ghost God the Father God no man can see the face of God that is God the Father God is a spirit oh the mystery of godliness and yet how sacred in what follows God was made manifest in the flesh seen of angels preached on in the world and received up into glory but the Lord helped me then to make this clear when Moses said I beseech thee show me thy glory he knew do we know that we cannot see the face of God almighty and live because God out of Christ is a consuming fire we could not stand the presence of almighty

[23:02] God I say it with reverence but we should be consumed by the brightness of his glory it would consume us I'm sure many perhaps all of you are thinking in your hearts as I'm trying to convey this to you you'll probably think like this well I know nothing about this we know very very little if we know anything at all of it the holiness the majesty the power of God and we have in the first chapter the gospel of John truth that I just read to you and they are the words of Jesus himself when he said no man has seen God at any time the only begotten son which is in the bosom of the father he hath declared him he well I hope I have made it clear no person upon this earth has ever seen

[24:20] God the father they could not stand in his presence because we should be consumed by his power God oh it is something that is true and yet we need the Holy Spirit even to give us a glimpse of this that out of Christ God is a consuming fire fire and I would just remind you because we read of it in the 24th chapter of the book of Exodus that Moses had been in the presence of God for 40 days and 40 nights did you notice dear friends how this sacred account is worded just read this the

[25:21] Lord had said unto Moses come up unto the Lord thou and Aaron and Nadab and Abihu and 70 elders of Israel and worship ye are far off and Moses alone shall come near the Lord but they shall not come nigh neither shall the people go up with him and Moses alone shall come near the Lord of course Moses often is a very precious type of Christ but on the other hand how could Moses see the glory of God what was it that he was asking for he'd been called into the presence of God he had spent 40 days and 40 nights with God and what does it say concerning this occasion it says this and Moses went up into the mount and a cloud covered the mount and the glory of the

[26:24] Lord abode upon mount Sinai and the cloud covered it six days I feel this teaching in this and the cloud covered it six days six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work but the seventh is the sabbath of the Lord thy God in it thou shalt not do any work and of course most if not all of you at least our older friends know this that there are essential things to be done on the Lord's day and there's nothing wrong in doing essential things but it means what it says but here what do we read and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud well think of it who can begin to understand what dear Moses must have felt drawn into the presence of God and there for six days he waited cannot conceive what it must have been only as we are favoured to be found waiting upon

[27:37] God waiting for him waiting in his presence and then what and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud and the sight of the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel and Moses went into the midst of the cloud and got him up into the mount and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights but he was not a stranger to the glory of God God now then how can poor sinners be favoured to see the glory of God well only in one way in and through the Lord Jesus Christ we have a hymn that says this would we view his brightest glory here it shines in

[28:46] Jesus face sing and tell the pleasing story oh ye sinners saved by grace and in the person of the saviour all his majesty is seen love and justice join together and without a veil between worms approach him even you even myself if you feel to be like a worm and we shall do if the grace of God is working in our heart by the Holy Ghost you'll know what it is to feel like a worm and yet friends this is the gospel worms approach him and there's nothing to prevent you worms approach him and rejoice in his dear name now then if we are to view his glory the glory of God it can only be viewed in and through Jesus Christ and yet it can be viewed in and through

[29:47] Jesus Christ and I'm sure this is what Moses was asking for and he said I beseech thee show me thy glory show me thy glory we have read this morning in Revelation 1 a very sacred account of how God gave to his servant John a sight of the glory of God in Christ in the face of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ and yet I must seek to emphasize this as we come near to a close this morning when the apostle John was given a sight of the glory of Christ it didn't consume him it did not consume him but what did it do for him

[30:47] I fell at his feet as dead you see there is a glory in Christ oh there's glory in Christ it's very sacred glory you see the difference out of Christ we would be consumed in the presence of God that in the presence of Christ we can view the glory of God in and through his beloved son I do not know how any of you feel but if you feel moved to read again what John saw on the isle of Patmos and the glory that he saw and the glory that was revealed to him and friends how does that revelation begin the revelation and I cannot remember it but I do want to read it as it's recorded here in the opening words of the revelation that God gave to his servant

[31:55] John the revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave unto him now that's the only way we can we can see these things they can only be seen by faith but all the glory that there is in Christ if you read again that wondrous account and if you find in your heart this exercise welling up that was given to Moses I beseech thee show me thy glory do you want to see it I repeat it do you want to see it I long to see it I know so little of it but I do want to know more would we view his brightest glory here it shines in Jesus face but friends the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is the

[32:56] King of Kings and Lord of Lords and when he returns to this earth with great power and glory and all the holy angels with him he will return as a judge and no one will be able to stand before him in the day of judgment that is with peace in their hearts only as they are in him we shall never be able to stand in the day of judgment before the piercing gaze of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords only as we are found in him and are sheltered beneath his blood and cleansed by his blood and he said I beseech thee show me thy glory so you see I hope you have seen it a little it can only be seen in the face of Jesus Christ this is where it's to be seen oh it is to be seen it can only be seen in the face of

[34:00] Jesus Christ now it didn't destroy the apostle John the dear man was not destroyed but he fell at his feet as dead and so shall we it would be a mercy if we knew more of this in our churches it would be a mercy if we knew more of it here it would be mercy if it was known more oh that we could pray for it oh that we could pray for it only God can give us such a spirit of prayer and the grace of supplication but friends this is what we need because iniquity abounds the love of many waxes cold and oh the danger that all real believers are in because of the increasing pressure of evil in this world and you will feel something of it in your heart and you will know that you will be carried away by it unless God preserves you are you brought here sometimes

[35:05] Jesus only nothing else Jesus only can do helpless sinners good I beseech thee show me thy glory include our service by singing hymn fifteen how shall I praise the eternal God that infinite unknown who can ascend his high abode or venture near his throne hymn fifteen feet me

[36:15] CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS

[37:17] CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS

[38:19] CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS CHOIR SINGS The Lord, the glory of God, the glory of God, the glory of God.

[39:47] The Lord, the glory of God, the glory of God, the glory of God, the glory of God.