Who Is The Lord?

Temple Baptist Church - 10-31-2010

Exodus 34:1-8

Introduction:

A. As Moses stood before the Lord on Mt. Sinai, the Lord passed before him and proclaimed the name of the Lord to him. The Lord God wanted Moses to know just who He was!

B. No doubt Moses knew a lot about the Lord because the rejected the riches and power of Egypt for the reproach of the Lord Jesus Christ according to Hebrews 11. For a man to reject the position, possessions, and power that Moses rejected for persecution tells me that he knew something about the Lord 40 years prior to the Burning Bush.

C. Moses then went down to Egypt in the power of the Lord and watched as God delivered Israel from the hands of the Pharaoh. Moses stood on the west side of the Red Sea with his rod extended and watched as Jehovah God open the Red Sea from the east with a blast of His nostrils, led the children of Israel through the Red Sea on dry ground, and drowned Pharaoh and his army in the sea.

D. Here, we find God giving to Moses the Law on Mt. Sinai. Before He gave Moses the Law, God wanted Moses to know just who He was. I want us to look at this proclamation from the Lord for a few minutes as to give us all a better explanation of who He is.

E. You and I as believers know much about the Lord. We were taught as children to know Him; to love and respect Him; to receive His as our Lord and Saviour. Sometimes we need to get a fresh glimpse of just who this God is that we love, respect, fear, and trust for our salvation. Our humanity often blurs our vision of Him. Our circumstances often shroud our understanding of just who He is.

F. Before we look at these verses, I want us to understand that God is an unchanging God. He said, “I am the Lord, I change not!” He is not changed by the failures of our humanity nor is He changed by our direness of our circumstances. As He was to Moses, so is He to every child of God. The world has done much to diminish His Person, His Presence, and His Power in the minds of both the lost and the saved. The god of this world has blinded their minds!


1. Who He Is! He is the Lord God! He is Jehovah God! The self-existing One! The Eternal One! He is the immutable One! He is the Alpha and the Omega! He is the Beginning and the End! There was none before Him and there will be none after Him and there will never be one like Him! He is the Creator of all things! He is the Possessor of all things! He is the Beginning of all things! And He is the End of all things! He was there in the beginning when He laid the foundations of the world! He will be there at the end when He changes the world! He does not have wisdom, He is Wisdom! He knows the end from the beginning! He does not have knowledge, He is Knowledge! He does not try to be good, He is Good! He does not try to love, He is Love! He does not need power, He is Power! He needs nothing and yet He owns everything! He is not in competition nor does He have any competitors! He is the Way of Salvation and He is the Door to Heaven. “I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no Saviour!” You may not acknowledge Him this morning but you can’t ignore Him! You may not want to live with Him but you can’t live without Him! “Moses, I AM THAT I AM!” Moses, I am the Lord! He does when He wants; He does how He wants; He does where He wants; and He asks no man for advice! He is omniscient! He is omnipotent! He is omnipresent! He fills the universe; He measured the seas in His hand; He is everywhere all of the time and He lives in my heart! I guess S. M. Lockridge said it all when he gave his dissertation titled “My King:”

The Bible says He's the King of the Jews. He's the King of Israel. He's the King of Righteousness. He's the King of the ages. He's the King of Heaven. He's the King of Glory. He's the King of kings and He is the Lord of lords. Now that's my King!

David says, "The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament showeth His handiwork." No means of measure can define His limitless love. No far-seeing telescope can bring into visibility the coastline of His shoreless supply. No barriers can hinder Him from pouring out His blessing.

Well, He's enduringly strong. He's entirely sincere. He's eternally steadfast. He's immortally graceful. He's imperially powerful. He's impartially merciful. That's my King!

He's God's Son. He's the sinner's Saviour. He's the centrepiece of civilization. He stands alone in Himself. He's august. He's unique. He's unparalleled. He's unprecedented. He's supreme. He's pre-eminent. He's the loftiest idea in literature. He's the highest personality in philosophy. He's the supreme problem in higher criticism. He's the fundamental doctrine of true theology. He's the cardinal necessity of spiritual religion. That's my King!

He's the miracle of the age. He's the superlative of everything good that you choose to call Him. He's the only one able to supply all of our needs simultaneously. He supplies strength for the weak. He's available for the tempted and the tried. He sympathizes and He saves. He guards and He guides. He heals the sick. He cleansed the lepers. He forgives sinners. He discharges debtors. He delivers the captives. He defends the feeble. He blesses the young. He serves the unfortunate. He regards the aged. He rewards the diligent, and He beautifies the meek.

Do you know Him? Well, my King is the key of knowledge. He's the wellspring of wisdom. He's the doorway of deliverance. He's the pathway of peace. He's the roadway of righteousness. He's the highway of holiness. He's the gateway of glory. He's the master of the mighty. He's the captain of the conquerors. He's the head of the heroes. He's the leader of the legislators. He's the overseer of the overcomers. He's the governor of the governors. He's the prince of princes. He's the King of kings, and He's the Lord of lords. That's my King! That's my King!

His office is manifold. His promise is sure. His life is matchless. His goodness is limitless. His mercy is everlasting. His love never changes. His Word is enough. His grace is sufficient. His reign is righteous. His yoke is easy, and His burden is light.

Well, I wish I could describe Him to you. He's indescribable. He's incomprehensible. He's invincible. He's irresistible. I'm trying to tell you, the Heaven of heavens cannot contain Him, let alone a man explain Him. You can't get Him out of your mind. You can't get Him off of your hands. You can't outlive Him, and you can't live without Him.

Well, the Pharisees couldn't stand Him, but they found out they couldn't stop Him. Pilate couldn't find any fault in Him. The witnesses couldn't get their testimonies to agree. Herod couldn't kill Him. Death couldn't handle Him, and the grave couldn't hold Him. That's my King!

He always has been, and He always will be. I'm talking about, He had no predecessor, and He'll have no successor. There was nobody before Him, and there'll be nobody after Him. You can't impeach Him, and He's not going to resign. That's my King! Praise the Lord! That's my King!

Thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory. The glory is all His. Thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever, and ever, and ever, and when you get through with all of the forever’s, then amen.

2. What He Is!

a. God is Merciful! Psalms 103:8-13 The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. (9) He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever. (10) He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. (11) For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. (12) As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. (13) Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. (I am glad, this morning that I have not gotten what I have deserved! Mercy is divine deliverance from justice. If God struck me down today, I would deserve it! If God put me in hell this very moment, I would deserve it! Don’t you ever think that you are good enough to be saved and go to Heaven outside of the marvelous mercy of God who laid all your sins and iniquities upon His precious Son, Jesus Christ! God is Merciful! God is Merciful to you!! If you are here lost this morning, it is of the Lord’s mercies that you are not already dead and in an eternal hell. You need to be saved today.)

b. God is Gracious! Ephesians 1:6-8 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. (7) In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; (8) Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence. (Grace is different from mercy. Mercy means that we do not get what we deserve. Grace means that we get what we do not deserve! God has been so good to this poor old sinner! He has saved me; He has led me; He has fed me; He has protected me; He has given to me life more abundantly; and He will one day take me home to Heaven for all eternity! God is Gracious to you this morning! You have been blessed far beyond anything that you have deserved! God is Gracious!! It is by God’s marvelous grace that you can breathe His free air, eat His food, wear His clothing, live in His home, and ride in His automobile.)

c. God is Longsuffering! 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (God has been so gentle and forbearing with the preacher! It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not all consumed. They are new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness, O Lord! One day, His longsuffering, mercy, and grace will all come to an end.)

d. God is abundant in Goodness! Psalms 103:2-5 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: (3) Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; (4) Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; (5) Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's. (Every need, His hand is supplying. The Bible says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift cometh down from the Lord.” All that I have, all that you have, all that I ever will or hope to have, all that you ever will or hope to have comes and will come from the Lord. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord!)

e. God is abundant in Truth! Deuteronomy 32:4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he. (What the Lord says is the way it is. He cannot be wrong for He knows the end from the beginning. He cannot lie because H alone is high and holy. What is truth? Jesus Christ is the Truth! This Book is right because it is His Bible. It is forever settled in heaven; heaven and earth will pass away before on jot or tittle passes from the Word of God. It is settled if you believe it or not. Unbelief does not either change or nullify the Word of God.)

f. God is Forgiving to the sinful! Matthew 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (No matter what you have done; no matter who you are; come unto the Lord and He will give you rest here and heaven on the other side.)

g. God is the Judge of all the earth! Revelation 20:11-12 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. (12) And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. (One day, if you do not get saved, you will be judged in your sin, be cast into the Lake of Fire, and spend all of your eternity in a devil’s hell. It is not the will of God that the wicked perish. It is your choice.)

Conclusion: “And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped.” The Lord God is worthy of our praise, both here and throughout all of eternity!