Welcome to the Kerwin Baptist Church broadcast today. Our desire is for the Word of God to be spread throughout the world so that all may know Christ. Join us now for a portion of one of our services here at Kerwin Baptist Church located in Kernersville, North Carolina. You say preacher, are we finally going to get to the part that God tells us exactly what we need to know after he has told us to go?
No. I just felt like I had to say no one more time in that phrase. So much has gone on in the life of Moses before God ever could get to the point to finally tell him, this is what I want you to do. And this is what I want you to remember as you continue to do what I've called you to do. You know, if God doesn't tell us the things we need to know and he just asked us to go and we just proceed and we don't know some of his promises. We're going to get into situations in our life where we're going to think, well, I don't know if God really called me to do this and all those things. Well, I don't know if I'm doing right. Seems like a lot of things are going wrong. Seems like there's a lot of roadblocks.
Maybe I just don't need to do this. God has to do a great work in our heart before we're ready to step out by faith and do what God has called us to do. I, you know, when you first get an offer, and when I say an offer, the deacons of this church and brother Joe had spent a lot of time in prayer, had spent months in prayer about the future of this church and the future of really direction and who the pastor would be and all those things who God wanted.
And it's not necessarily a system everybody uses. It's just a system that God had laid on their heart. And when brother Joe approached me and mentioned, said, you know, we feel strong. We prayed and prayed and prayed, discussed other things, other people, all that. But the Lord's really just made it clear in our hearts that you are to be the next pastor at Kerwin Baptist Church. Would you consider coming?
And, you know, you get an offer like that, a church like this, and you, you know, maybe the temptation would be, well, sure, you know, why would I not? But I didn't have that feeling at first in a sense. I knew the task.
I thought I knew the task that I've always said for years. I feel sorry for anybody, whoever's going to follow Joe Myers at Kerwin Baptist Church. And now that I know, I feel really sorry for myself. I feel so bad for myself.
I'm just picking. This is the greatest church in the world to pastor. It's the greatest people. But that's a lot of pressure because you don't want to let this kind of people down. And, you know, God gave me some promises in that month, month and a half that I prayed, my wife and I prayed about it. I remember going up to my mom and dad's apartment there in Kernersville. Of course, mom was so full of cancer even at that point. And sitting down in the living room, just me and the two of them and just saying, you know, this is what's transpired and this is what the door God has opened and I've got to pray and figure out if this is what God wants. And, you know, I'll always hold close and dear that hour to hour and a half time as you're realizing this is the direction of my, the rest of my future.
This is going to directly impact everything in my life and I don't want to make a wrong decision. What's funny is I sat there and my mom feeling so sick, never brought up why this would be good for me or opportunities that would open up. She reached over on the nightstand and got her Bible.
Very, very weak. Just began to read verses. And I believe during that period of time God gave me peace through his word. What God wanted me to do. And if you don't have it settled in God's word. And you don't have God's promises that you are 100% leaning on. There's enough things that are going to happen in your life that you're going to doubt God, you're going to doubt direction.
You know what, there's a bunch of men that took a job or took a church because of a paycheck because of a 401k because the church is famous because the church is well known because they think whatever. Let me tell you something, when the bad times come, you get out of it. You don't last long unless you've got some promises and God has asked you to go and you have some promises and you stand firm. And then when the storms come and the winds come and everything else that happens in a desert like Moses. You've always got those promises to look back on because God told me what I needed to know before he ever asked me to go.
So we're getting there. It would be a kind of almost mean of me to just go ahead and give you the promises of God that God gave Moses before he branched out at 80 years of age. This great task of leading God's people out of bondage.
This had been a time of darkness and these people had been slaves in Egypt. They had cried, they had prayed and God had seemingly had done nothing at this point. And here's Moses who had been in a place of leadership that was now tending the sheep of his father-in-law at a desert place approaching the base of a mountain.
And he turns around and sees this small dried out bush on fire as we talked about last week. Let's pick it up if we could, Exodus chapter 3. Today our subject is holy ground.
Holy ground. I know my time is very limited this morning. And I'm going to make it exactly clear what we need to do. I'm well aware of that. But let me remind you this is the most important thing that's gone on this morning so far.
And I know you know I'm always conscious of time. Notice if you would verse 2 of Exodus chapter 3. The angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush and he looked and behold the bush burned with fire. The bush was not consumed and Moses said I will now turn aside. See this great sight why the bush is not burnt. And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see God called unto him out of the midst of the bush and said Moses, Moses and he said here am I.
We covered all the way up to this point. But today I want us to look at verse 5 and verse 6. And he said what did God say as he hauled out Moses, Moses and Moses stopped and turned to hear what God had to say verse 5 and he said draw not nigh hither. In other words don't come too close Moses. Put off thy shoes from off thy feet. For the place wherein thou standest is holy ground. Let's pray.
Lord I love you. Pray ye help me as we try to rightfully divide your word. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
Just two main points this morning. Number one is the subject of holy ground. Holy ground. It seems a bit odd to me that God gets Moses attention so that he'll turn around and notice them and then when Moses starts coming he says don't come too close. Doesn't that seem a bit like God gets your attention in a way to say come here and then when he turns around and he approaches God says hey not too close.
Like what in the world? Well do you know often times in our life God has to work hard to get our attention. But God still has some lessons for us to learn and as Moses turns around and approaches literally God himself who had manifested himself in this bush or shrub that was on fire. God tells him draw not nigh hither.
What does this mean? By the way this is the first time as I've told you in God's word that the word holy is used in reference to God. He said this is holy ground. What made it holy ground?
The fact that God was there. That's what makes it holy ground. You and I are not holy by the way.
But through the blood of Jesus Christ we are. Because we have God. The presence of God is what makes it holy.
And notice this first phrase he uses he says draw not nigh. Why did God do this? What was the whole point he was trying to make to Moses? I want you to first see this is a reference to God's holiness. God's holiness. As Moses turns around and he hears God speaking and when he turns around to approach God says draw not nigh. God's holiness.
I want you to get this. God was emphasizing to Moses the gap between the divine and the human. Do you know there's a difference between God and you? The Bible said that it is literally a great gulf that has been fixed. That is how far away God is from what we are. What God is and what we are could not be more different. Everybody understand that? Now listen to me. God is holy so Moses was not allowed to come close to him.
Why? Because holiness involves separation. Holy means to be set apart. Something's not holy if it's just like everything else.
Don't get nervous. I know it's a Sunday morning. Now listen to me. God's holiness means that he is set apart from everything that he has made. He's the creator. We're the creation. So we are not God. We are not equal with God. In fact if you go all the way back to the first sin that's exactly what Satan tried to use with Eve. He doesn't want you to eat of that tree because he knows once you do you're going to be equal with God.
You and I can't be. He's creator. We're creation. God was letting Moses know right off the bat. I'm above you Moses. Moses was not going to get very far in life or in service if we don't realize that God is above us. Now hold on.
Don't get discouraged by that. Holiness is not simply God's divinity. It's God's distinctness. He's different from us.
He knows more than we do. He is pure. We are sinful. He's clean. We're dirty.
Anybody have a problem admitting that this morning? Listen to me. It is the distinction between the creator and the creation. There is a distance because of God's holiness and our depravity. God says in Hosea chapter 11, I am not man. I am the holy one among you.
First Samuel chapter 2 teaches us that God says there is none holy like unto the Lord. I want you to look at this verse. Ecclesiastes chapter 5 verse 2.
We'll all start coming into picture. What was God doing to Moses? Why would God call Moses and then tell Moses not to come too close? Look at Ephesians 5. Ecclesiastes 5 verse 2. Be not rash with thy mouth and let not thine heart be hasty to utter anything before God. For God is in heaven and thou upon the earth. Therefore, let thy words be few. God's holiness.
Dear friend, I want you to get this. If you and I do not grab a hold of the fact that the God we serve is bigger than us, then we are going to be discouraged down the road. God was letting Moses know right from the start before I even asked you to do something. I want you to know I'm God and you're not. Secondly this draw not nigh it speaks of God's holiness but second it speaks of man's sin. Why does God say this? Why does he say don't come near me? Don't get too close. Because and by the way there are biblically what we call dispensations.
I'm not going to get into all that. You and I are in the dispensation of grace right now and we should be very thankful that we are. But at this time they were in the dispensation of what we would call darkness. It means this that they were the people of God but they were not hearing from God.
They knew he existed and they knew he was alive but they were not hearing from God. Man was not allowed to approach the holiness of God. Man's sin separated him from God the Bible says.
And I want you to understand something today. Your sin and my sin separates us from God. God can't be around the dirt and filth of sin. If he's holy he cannot coexist with that. The holiness of God cannot coexist with the sinfulness of man. Now I know this seems a bit teachy this morning but it's not. This is doctrine you need to understand this.
Now get me listen. When Jesus came in the New Testament all this time later. When Jesus came and died and rose again.
The Bible says that the veil of that Old Testament temple was rent into. It means now although man could not approach a holy God. Because Jesus died on the cross for our sins and his blood has covered our sins. You and I right now right in this building right in this moment can go directly to the throne of God.
Why? Because man's sin can't approach God. But now when we approach God he doesn't see our sin. He sees the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Moses couldn't approach God you know why? Because Jesus hadn't come yet.
Alright I'm the only one excited about this this morning. To the point preacher it means we can come now boldly to the throne of God. We can have intimate fellowship with God himself.
Because of Jesus Christ. Draw not nigh. Moses you can't get too close to me yet. But down the road my son's gonna die. So that you and I in 19, I almost said 19 something.
I was thinking 2018, 2019 coming up and almost said anyway wrong year. So that today you and I right in your seat can say God I need help from you today. God I need something from your word. You can go directly to the throne of God where Moses couldn't even approach a burning bush.
And it's all because of Jesus. Notice what he says next he says draw not nigh and then he says this put off thy shoes. This is holy ground. Don't come too close and put off your shoes.
You say why is that? Do you know all through the Bible fire is used as a picture of the purifying and refining quality of God's holiness. And this is evidence because God looks at Moses and he says where you are standing is holy ground take off your shoes. Why did God tell him to do that?
Notice first God was telling him that he must express his reverence. Do you know in Bible days putting off your shoe was like taking off your hat now? If we're at a restaurant and we pray what do we do? We take our hat off. Do you know that there was a generation before us and some of you more mature individuals would understand when you entered a building you took your hat off. It's a sign of reverence. It's a sign of respect. We're sitting in a ball game with a hat on and they say we're going to play our national anthem and you stand up what do you do?
You take your hat off. It's a sign of reverence. God says hey Moses I want you to take your shoes off.
This was a sign of reverence. Shoes would have been soiled. Shoes would be dirty.
Shoes would have dirt and sand and mud on them. This is holy ground. You don't approach God with your dirt. Everybody wants to make fun because you know we're an old fuddy duddy church and I know we're an old fashioned church and all those things and I think we're pretty balanced church myself. I really do but I understand but guess what God's still a holy God.
We don't just we don't just approach him with our dirt. We reverence God. He's a holy just God. Our music should reverence him. Our behavior should reverence him. Everything about our service should reverence him.
We ought to want to be our best and wear our best and look our best and act our best. Not because we're impressing anybody else here but because we're coming to a holy God. God says hey take those shoes off. They got dirt.
They got all this dirt you've been tracking up around. You're coming to a holy ground now. You take that junk off. Listen you and I come to God's house we ought to be one. We want to say God I got to get this sin off me. God I'm sorry I've sinned.
I've done wrong and God I want to get my heart right. I want to worship you today. Look at me dear friend. We can't worship God right when we got dirt everywhere. Nobody should take this bad. This is for all of us.
Guess what? I shouldn't come up to this pulpit with a whole bunch of dirt in my life. Because this is a holy place. He's a holy God. He must express his reverence.
Listen to me. God deserves more than our dirt. Now God will take our dirt and he'll clean us up. It don't matter what we've done, how bad we've done. It don't matter to what depths we've gone. God loves us. He'll save us. But God loves us enough to change us.
Notice secondly he must express his readiness. You know in Bible days when you are a servant and you were working for a master. In Bible days when they would have tent dwellings and and either other clay type building dwellings that a servant would approach the main house.
A servant would always take their shoes off and then step inside the house. And why was he going in the house? To get his orders. To get his instructions. A servant would take his shoes off and approach the master so that he would say what is it that I need to do?
What are my tasks for the day? And the master would tell him. Then he would go back out, put his shoes on and go to work. You know why that God said Moses take off your shoes because I'm getting ready to give you instruction. Number two. A holy ground.
Number two. A holy God. Why are these verses teaching? Notice verse six. He says hey don't come too close.
Take off your shoes. And this is why. Look at verse six. Moreover he said I am the God of thy 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 upon God. Now just a side note real quick. We're almost done. I'm being very respectful of time. Look at verse six. He said I am the God of. He said Abraham, Isaac, Jacob.
But notice the first phrase he says I'm the God of thy father. Who is Moses father? His name was Amram. Not a lot of people name their kids Amram. Is there anybody here named Amram? I'm really sorry.
I would just go by Ram or something like that you know. Who was Amram? Well Jacob had a son named Levi and Jacob had this son with Leah. You remember the whole story of Leah and Rachel and all that. Well Jacob had a son with Leah named Levi. And then Levi had a son named Kohath and Kohath had a son named Amram and Amram had a son named Moses. Amram.
Let me tell you why this is interesting. Amram spent a hundred and thirty seven years as a slave in Egypt. So when Moses is leading sheep and he comes to the desert and God wants to talk about. I'm the God of Jacob and Isaac and Abraham. I'm the God.
I'm the one that does all this. In Moses human mind he would say well if you're such a God then why is my dad. Why has he spent a hundred and thirty seven years in slavery.
They've been crying and praying and they haven't heard anything from you. So God covers that real quick. He said I'm the God of your father. That means this I'm God when you have the success and the blessing of Abraham but I'm also God when you're under the slavery like your father is. It means this I'm God when things are good I'm God when things are bad. He's God. He is a holy God and notice I love this. Look what he says in verse seven as we come to close. And the Lord said he establishes to Moses immediately make sure it's clear who he is. Notice what he says first he says I have seen. I have seen.
What do you mean. It means this I have seen the verse says the affliction of my people. That means this God is looking at Moses and saying I see it all and I see you. He sees your struggles. He sees your heartaches. He sees your circumstances.
He sees your affliction. Moses had begun to think that God wasn't watching them. Moses had started to think why are we going through all this.
Why have we been slaves so long. It's as if God has overlooked us. God clears it up right there he says I'm God. I have seen the affliction of my people. He is letting Moses know you might think that I haven't been watching but I have. You might think there's some things that I haven't seen but I have seen it all.
Are you ready. Maybe you think today God has failed to see what you're going through. Maybe today you've been through some things and you deep down are thinking you know I don't even know if God's even paying attention. I know people sure aren't paying attention maybe God's overlooked me too.
Before God ever asked Moses to do anything he had to make sure Moses knew that God sees everything. Dear friend I'm here to tell you whatever you've been through. Whatever you're going through. Whoever's disappointed you.
Whatever's broken you down emotionally, spiritually, mentally, physically, whatever. God sees it. You're on holy ground today and he's a holy God and he has seen it. Notice secondly he says I have heard.
What did he hear? Look at the verse. Their cry. God says I've seen what they're going through. I've seen their affliction. I have seen the difficult times. I've been watching this entire time.
There wasn't a second of any day that I wasn't watching and noticing everything they were going through. Now they didn't know God was watching but he was. Then God says secondly you know what that whole time they were crying out to me.
I heard it. Dear friend look at me just because God didn't show up. Instantly doesn't mean he didn't hear. Just because God hadn't fixed your problem yet doesn't mean he's not listening. God said I have heard their cry. They felt that their prayers were going unanswered.
They felt that they were crying but they felt there was no answer. They were slaves. They were being treated badly.
The Bible even literally says that they were under task masters in this verse. Have you ever been treated badly by somebody and you went to God for God to take care of it and you felt like God didn't? You ever had somebody do you wrong like God I don't know how you can continue to let them do something like that me it is so unfair and it is so wrong. And God I am trying to do what's right and God I just and you begin to think you know what maybe God just didn't hear what maybe just doesn't hear me. Maybe God's not listening to my cry. Dear friend God made it known to Moses.
Listen they had been in slavery for hundreds of years. But he let Moses know I have heard every cry they cried. I've heard it all. I'm here to tell you today something you need to know before God tells you to go. He sees you and he hears you. I've got more in this verse I'll just cover it next week. Our time is gone.
Look at me dear friend. You and I need to remember we're on holy ground. We need to remember God's holy we're sinners. We don't deserve to approach a holy God. But through Jesus Christ.
We have access. Dear friend if you're here this morning and you do not know the Lord as your personal savior. Jesus has made a way for you to approach a holy God. Not only is there holy ground. But he's a holy God. He sees you. And he hears you. You might be thinking you don't know I've been going through something a long time preacher and I just don't know why God hasn't fixed this. Well try being a slave day after day. For 100 years and then 200 years and then 300 years. And God hasn't done anything.
I don't know about you you and I have become very impatient people. Dear friend I'm here to remind you this morning before before God even asked you to go. You and I need to understand he sees. And he hears. Bless you.
