Bibliology: The Doctrine of Scriptures - Part 2 - Inspiration and Preservation

Temple Baptist Church - 10-26-2025

Exodus 13:18; 32:15-19; 34:1

 

Introduction: 

 

A.  Bibliology is the branch of systematic theology that studies the facts and doctrines concerning the Bible as God’s revelation to man, including its inspiration, inerrancy, authority, canonization, illumination, preservation, and interpretation.

 

B.  This morning, I want to take a biblical look at two things that guarantee our Bible’s authority: Inspiration and Preservation.  These two doctrines MUST always be tied together because Inspiration without Preservation makes the Word of God, we hold in our hands the “word of man,” an imperfect Word of God.  Imperfection and God do not go together!

 

C.  Now, having said that, I want to look at these two words to explain what they are and why they must be used together.

 

D.  So-called “theologians” in our day separate Inspiration from Preservation.  This causes confusion and doubt among many who read their Bibles shallowly.  It is a ploy of Satan as he always tries to divide and conquer God’s people.  I think that everyone knows that “God is not the Author of confusion, but of peace, as in ALL churches of the saints.”

 

1 Corinthians 14:33  For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

 

E.  And please do not say that King James Bible believers are the culprits in confusion.  We still hold to the old Authorized King James Bible of our forefathers.  We follow the Old Paths wherein is the good way.

 

F.  First, we will look at the Doctrine of Biblical Inspiration, which Paul said pertained to “All Scripture.”   Does “All Scripture” apply to Paul’s day, Timothy’s day, and our day?  That question needs to be answered.

 

G.  I believe that we all would agree that God inspired the Original Autographs, but no one owns or has seen one.  I know of no one who owns the two original “Tables of the Law” which were written by the “finger of God.”

 

H.  But, what about the Scriptures that Paul had other than what he wrote?  What about the “holy Scriptures that Timothy was saved by?  What about the King James Bible that we hold in our hands?

 

J. To understand what Biblical Inspiration is, we need to go to the Book of Genesis, often called “The Book of the Beginnings” or “The Seedbed of the Bible.”  Genesis is also the Book of First Mentions.

 

1.  Genesis chapter one.  In the beginning, God spoke or breathed out.  In the first six days of Creation, God spoke everything into existence, and it was “very good.”  What God breathes out is perfectly perfect, no fault at all.  Impeccability is a divine attribute of God alone. 

 

a)  God speaking is expiration or breathing out. We use this term when a person dies; their last act is to breathe out or expire. In fundamentalism, we used this term to explain the Word of God: “God Breathed.” I have seen it printed on the front cover of Bibles.

 

b)  Inspiration means to breathe into something. God breathed out, but also breathed into or infused.  The infusing is both Inspiration and Preservation. 

 

3.  The best illustration is a biblical one.  Genesis 2:7  And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

 

a)  God formed man of the dust of the ground, but he had no life.  God made a body.  God infused the life of God into Adam's body.  The life God infused into Adam was eternal life.  Therefore, we find preservation in the same act.

 

b)  God never had to infuse life into anyone since that day, as that eternal life remains preserved in reproduction.

 

K.  All Original Manuscripts are both Inspired and Preserved.  These original writings did not just “poof” into existence.  God spoke, and men wrote, through divine preservation, His words down.  They were perfect through preservation.  These men, in their humanity, could have made a mistake by altering, omitting, or adding to the Word given, BUT they did not because preservation is God’s work, even though He uses men.

 

Psalms 68:11  The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it.

 

What did this great company publish?  The Word that God gave!

 

L.  The first written Scriptures were approximately 3,500 years old and are found in the Book of Exodus, chapters 31-34. 

 

1.  Inspiration and Preservation.  God provided the tables of stone and wrote upon them the perfect Word of God with His finger. 

 

Exodus 31:18  And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God. 

 

(Testimony – Inspiration and Tables written with the finger of God – Preservation)

 

a)  In this verse, we find the First Mention Principle of Bible Interpretation concerning both Inspiration and Preservation: “The first time a word, doctrine, or concept is mentioned in Scripture, it establishes the foundational meaning and usage of that word or truth throughout the rest of the Bible.”

 

b)  Simply stated: When God introduces a subject in His Word, He does so in a way that reveals its basic, essential meaning. Later mentions of that subject will build upon, expand, or illustrate that first introduction — but never contradict it.

 

2.  The Man of God’s Mission.  Again, a First Mention of the work of the Man of God concerning the Scriptures.  Moses then carried the perfect Word of God down to the people. 

 

Exodus 31:18  And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.

 

Exodus 32:15-16  And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written.  (16)  And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.

 

3.  The Destruction of the Original.  In anger, Moses broke the tablets.

 

Exodus 32:19  And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.

 

4.  The Preservation of the Word of God.  Moses hewed the tables of stone but God wrote upon These tables the exact words as the first!

 

Exodus 34:1  And the LORD said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest.

 

5.  What God Inspired, God Preserved!  He did not leave either inspiration or preservation in Moses' hands.

 

M.  The New Testament confirms that inspiration and preservation are both simultaneous acts of God. 

 

1 Peter 1:23-25  Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.  (24)  For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:  (25)  But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

 

a. The Apostle Peter declares that the same principle holds true today:

 

1 Peter 1:23–25 – Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever... But the word of the Lord endureth for ever.

 

“Incorruptible” – Not subject to corruption, decay, or death; enduring forever.

 

1 Corinthians 9:25 – “Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.”

 

1 Corinthians 15:52 – “...for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”

 

b. Just as God breathed life into Adam, so He breathed His Word into writing — and that Word still lives and abides forever.

 

c. Therefore, the Scriptures we have today — preserved in the Authorized King James Bible — are as living and incorruptible as the day God first gave them.

 

Conclusion:  Men may reject the truth of what God said in these last verses, but I thank Him every day for His precious Word that saved my soul many years ago.  Believe what you want, but I still believe the Bible is the inerrant, infallible, inspired, preserved Word of God in the King James Bible for English-speaking people.

Theology: The Doctrine of God - Part 9

 Temple Baptist Church - 5-18-2025

Exodus 33:18-34:8

 

II.  The Attributes of God

 

“The Glory of God’s Person” Part 2

 

A.  A couple of weeks ago, we found Moses asking God to reveal His glory. An attribute of God that has never been fully revealed to man: The Glory of God’s Presence. Yet, in many ways, through divine revelation and the Word of God, we have touched the hem of His garment.

 

B.  God’s Presence is an unapproachable Light.  Neither the Old nor the New Testament believer can look at His face and live.  Yet, God chose to reveal His Shekinah glory (His presence with man) throughout both the Old and New Testaments.

 

C.  Because of “that which is perfect,” the Word of God, we no longer need to walk by sight.  We walk by faith.

 

D.  Having said that, we also see the Person of the Lord revealed in His performance among mankind here in Exodus. 

 

1.  In Exodus 33:20-23, God revealed His “back parts,” or afterglow, to Moses.  That alone was enough to make Moses wear a veil before the people of Israel because his face shone in such brightness.

 

2.  In verse 19, the Lord proclaimed, “I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.”

 

3.  Though we do not see the Shekinah glory of God in our day, we can see the Person and Performance of God, which is a revelation of God’s glory.

 

E.  When the Lord passed by Moses, hidden in a cleft in the rock and covered by the hand of God, this is what He proclaimed.  In His proclamation of His Person, He is the Potentate, the Monarch, the Absolute Ruler, and the Owner of the heavens and the earth.  His Glory is not only found in His Presence, unapproachable light, it is found in His glorious Person.

 

1.  The Glory of His Person.  “The LORD, the LORD God”  “LORD” is the Jewish national name for God.  “JAH” or “the LORD most vehement.”  The self-existing One; the eternal One; the I AM THAT I AM!

 

a.  The Glory of God is found in His condescension!  Psalms 40:5  Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered. 

 

That God Almighty, who needs nothing or anyone, would even recognize a poor lost sinner like you and me is beyond comprehension.

 

b.  The Glory of God is found in His compassion!  1 Peter 5:7  Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 

 

He not only knows me, but He also cares for me.

 

2.  The Glory of His Salvation.  “merciful and gracious”

 

a.  The Glory of God is found in His mercy and grace.  Lamentations 3:22-23  It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.  (23)  They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. 

 

Mercy signifies that we do not receive what we deserve. Every person in this church deserves nothing but hell! I am so grateful that hell will never be my eternal home because of the great love and compassion of the Lord. He certainly has not repaid any of us according to our iniquity. If you are saved, you should thank God every day for His mercy.

 

b.  The Glory of God is found in His grace.  Hebrews 4:16  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. 

 

Grace means that we receive what we do not deserve. Not only is hell not my eternal home, but heaven is my eternal home! God has been more than gracious to all of us, and one day, by God’s marvelous grace, we will step on “the other side” and experience all of the goodness of God for all of eternity.

 

3.  The Glory of His Longsuffering.  “longsuffering”  God not only saves and secures us through His wonderful grace but He also “puts up with us!”

 

a.  The Glory of God is found in His longsuffering.  Psalms 86:15  But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth. 

 

He never gives up on us and loves us in spite of who we are and what we represent. As we continue to love our children, He continues to love us. He’s still working on me!

 

b.  The Glory of God is found in His forgiveness.  1 John 1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

 

"Until seventy times seven” shows the forgiveness of God. As often and as many times as we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness!

 

4.  The Glory of His Faithfulness.  “goodness and truth.”  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.

 

a.  The Glory of God is found in His goodness.  Psalms 100:4-5  Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.  (5)  For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations. 

 

God is good to us at all times. We need nothing today because of His goodness. Every good gift and every perfect gift comes from God. God is good!

 

b.  The Glory of God is found in His truthfulness.  Psalms 100:5  For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations. 

 

What God says is right, and He will never change His mind on the subject. He is the same today as He always was and will be the same tomorrow as He is now. You can completely depend on Him!

 

Conclusion: The glory of God is not found in our circumstances; rather, it is found in His person.

Theology: The Doctrine of God - Part 8

 Temple Baptist Church - 5-4-2025

Exodus 33:12-34:8

II.  The Attributes of God

“The Glory of God’s Presence” Part 1

 

A.  This morning, we found an insurmountable task!  An attribute of God that has never been totally revealed to man:  His Glory.  Yet, in many ways through divine revelation and the Word of God, we have touched the “hem of His garment.”

 

B.  There have been times when I needed to see God's glory, and there will be times when you need to do so.

 

1.  In Times of Great Trouble.

 

2.  In Times of Great Disappointment.

 

3.  In Times of Great Discouragement.

 

4.  In Times of Great Confusion.

 

5.  In Times of Great Hurt.

 

C.  In our text, we find such a time.  Moses, the meekest man in the world, has been called aside to Mt. Sinai.  There, he saw God in a bush that burned but was not consumed.  God had an insurmountable task for Moses. 

 

1.  God had a seemingly unreasonable task for Moses. Egypt was a dominant world power that controlled the known civilizations during Moses's time, and delivering Israel from their grasp was unfathomable.

 

2.  God had a fearful task for Moses.  To return to a land where he was under the sentence of death and confront Pharaoh, the most powerful man on earth.

 

D.  Verses 12-13.  Moses’ requests were reasonable.  Verse 12: don’t send me alone.  Verse 13: Show me thy way.

 

E.  Verse 14.  God’s answer was a twofold promise! 

 

1.  God’s Presence.  Exodus 33:14.  “MY presence shall go with thee!”  That alone should have been enough.

 

2.  God’s Person or Performance.  “AND I will give thee rest!  Resting in His presence in the hard places ahead.

 

F.  There are two distinct aspects of God’s glory in His answer to Moses that I wish to examine.

 

1.  The Glory of His Presence.  What God is.  Verse 17.  “I will do this thing also”

 

2.  The Glory of His Person or Performance.  Who God is.  Verses 19-20.  “I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee”

 

G.  There is so much in these verses that I will have to break it down into two parts:

 

1.  The Glory of God’s Presence.

 

2.  The Glory of God’s Person or Performance.

 

H.  Verse 18.  “Shew me thy glory”  This morning, I want to look at the Glory of His Presence. 

 

Exodus 3:14  And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

 

“I AM THAT I AM” speaks of God’s Presence.  God lives in an ever-present moment of time.  God has no time; therefore, God is not controlled by time.  God owns time!

 

1.  This is a subject beyond human comprehension, but one which is somewhat biblically explained.  I say “somewhat” because we will never fully understand who God is until we are like and see Him as He is. 

 

1 John 3:1-3  Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.  (2)  Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.  (3)  And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

 

a.  “it doth not YET appear what we shall be”  In this phrase, we find that, though we are the sons of God by faith, we are not in a perfected state.  The word “YET” speaks of a time when we shall be like Him. 

 

b.  “when he shall appear, we shall be like him”  At death or the rapture of God’s church, we shall all be changed according to 1 Corinthians 15 and 1 Thessalonians 4. 

 

c.  “for we shall see Him as He is”  Here we find the glory of His presence.  We will, for the first time, see Him as He is.

 

d.  “And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.”  Seeing Him and being like Him come through a process of purification that will end in perfection when we get a glorified body and the sin nature is eradicated. 

 

2.  The Glory of His Presence is Unapproachable Light. 

 

a.  God IS Light.  1 John 1:5  This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

 

b.  God IS Life.  John 1:4-5  In him was life; and the life was the light of men.  (5)  And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

 

c.  God’s Garment IS Light.  Psalms 104:1-3  Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty.  (2)  Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:  (3)  Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind:

 

d.  God’s Dwelling is an Unapproachable Light.  1 Timothy 6:14-16  That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:  (15)  Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;  (16)  Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.

 

Only God can inhabit the light that He “dwells” within.  Man can neither dwell therein nor approach it. 

 

Daniel 2:20-22  Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his:  (21)  And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:  (22)  He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.

 

e.  God’s Face is an Unviewable Light.  Exodus 33:20  And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.

 

John 1:18  No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

 

Men have never, while in the flesh, been able to see and behold the Father.  As we cannot gaze upon the sun in its strength, we cannot view God in His!

 

f.  God’s Face is a Glorious Light.  Revelation 21:22-23  And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.  (23)  And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.

 

g.  God’s Face is an Eternal Light.  Revelation 22:1-5  And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.  (2)  In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.  (3)  And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:  (4)  And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.  (5)  And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

 

3.  The Glory of His Presence in Shekinah Glory.  Like the terms Trinity and Rapture, the word shekinah does not appear in the Bible, but the concept does.

 

a.  The ancient Jewish Rabbis coined this extra-biblical expression, Shekinah, a form of a Hebrew word meaning "he caused to dwell,” signifying a divine visitation of the Lord God's presence on earth in a viewable form. 

 

b.  This occurred in both the Old and New Testaments before the complete canonization of the Scriptures. 

 

1)  God has made Himself viewable to His people before canonization by shrouding His Glory in Theophanies, Christophanies, and Anthropomorphisms.  

 

a)  The Old Testament.  The Angel of the Lord, the Rock of Horeb, the Bush that burned but was not consumed, the pillars of Cloud and Fire, etc.  Though they saw such things, the Old Testament walked by faith also.

 

b)  Faith is mentioned 24 times in Hebrew chapter 11, the “Hall of Faith” chapter.

 

Hebrews 11:27  By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.

 

b)  The New Testament.

 

1a.  Jehovah God, the Voice of God manifested in the flesh.  John 1:14  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.

 

1 John 1:1-2  That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;  (2)  (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)

 

Colossians 1:14-15  In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:  (15)  Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

 

1b.  Jesus Christ manifested a visual of His future glory to His disciples.  Matthew 17:1-2  And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,  (2)  And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.

 

1c.  The glorified Christ manifested Himself to the Apostle Paul in conversion.  Acts 9:3-4  And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:  (4)  And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

 

1d.  The glorified Christ manifested Himself to John the Beloved to open the Book of the Revelation

of Christ.  Revelation 1:10-15  I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,  (11)  Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.  (12)  And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;  (13)  And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.  (14)  His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;  (15)  And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.

 

2)  Now that both Old and New Testaments have been canonized and translated, we see God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit more clearly than ever through the lens of our Bible. Today, we do not see an Encarnacion or vision of God because we walk by faith, not sight.  No rose petals falling from the skies, no statues that shed tears, no “corn flakes” that look like the image of Christ.

 

2 Corinthians 5:6-8  Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:  (7)  (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)  (8)  We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

 

Romans 14:23  And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

 

Conclusion:  We who read and study God’s Word have seen the “invisible God” through His wonderful revelation in Scripture.

Moses Walked with God in Impossibility

 Temple Baptist Church - 7-9-2023

Exodus 3:1-11

 

Introduction:

 

A.  Over the past few weeks, I have been preaching about “Walking with God.”  We need people who are willing to pay the price required to walk with God.  The price begins with going to Him “without the camp.”  My introduction to this message will be short because most of us are familiar with the life of Moses.

 

B.  Moses was one of the greatest men, spiritually, who ever lived.  Moses would not have been a man of our choosing if we were to pick out a deliverer from the children of Israel.  What makes Moses such a notable example of “walking with God” was the impossibility of his circumstances. 

 

1.  God is the God of Impossibilities.

 

2.  What you ain’t, God is.  What you think you cannot do (notice I used the words “think you cannot do”), God can!

 

3.  From birth as supposedly the son of Pharoah’s daughter to the age of 40, Moses was being readied to deliver the children of Israel from the bondage of Egypt.

 

4.  Educated in all the wisdom of Egypt and privileged with the royalty and power of Egypt. 

 

Acts 7:22-25  And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds. 

 

5.  The Greatness of Moses’ Choice.  Hebrews 11:24-27  By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;  (25)  Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;  (26)  Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.  (27)  By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.  (It is unimaginable to us!  He left the riches, comfort, and power of Egypt—the most powerful nation on earth to suffer the reproach of Christ with a nation of slaves.  We give up so little to gain so much and this man gave up to, in the eyes of the world, to gain so little.)

 

a)  Moses had the spiritual fortitude to turn his back on all that the world had to offer while suffering the wrath of the most powerful man in the world to bear the reproach of Christ.

 

b)  If there was ever a good example of going without the camp, it was a man named Moses. 

 

c)  Saved from death by his parents when he was born, he became the son of Pharaoh’s daughter and heir to the throne of Egypt. 

 

d)  Nursed and raised by his mother, he put his faith in the coming of the Messiah.  He gave up all that a man could ever dream of for the love of Christ and the privilege to bear His shame and reproach.  It is impossible to walk with God while holding hands with the world! 

 

6.  Moses tried to do the right thing at the wrong time with failure instead of success. 

 

Acts 7:22-25  And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.  (23)  And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel.  (24)  And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian:  (25)  For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not. 

 

7.  Moses thought that he could deliver Israel by his own strength.  Moses was not up to the task.

 

8.  It took Moses another 40 years on the backside of the desert to finish his preparation for delivering Israel.  Before God could use Moses, he had to become humble.

 

a)  God had to change Moses from Might to Meekness.

 

b)  God had to change Moses from Learned to Learner. 

 

c)  God had to change Moses from a Superior to a Shepherd.  He needed to learn to be a shepherd to a flock of sheep and goats so as to shepherd the “sheep and goats” of Israel.

 

d)  God had to change Moses from the Possible before he could do the Impossible!

 

C.  On the backside of Sinai, he met Jehovah God in the Person of a Burning Bush that was not consumed.  There, God showed Moses the purpose for which he was born.

 

D.  The word “impossible” is only found 9 times in the Bible with every reference being found in the New Testament.  In both the First and Last Mention of impossible, it times impossible with faith and faithlessness.

 

1.  The First Mention is in Faith - Matthew 17:20  And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

 

2.  The Last Mention is in Faithlessness - Hebrews 11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

 

E.  I want to look at 4 instances of such impossibility found in this man’s life that made his faithfulness in walking with God such a great measure of faith and resolve.  What will stand out in this message is that the impossible places in the life of Moses set an example for us to follow in the impossible places of our lives.

 

1.  The impossibility of God’s Choice.  Numbers 12:3  (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)  (I would have picked a warrior, a champion, the most physical man that I could find to face the most powerful man in the world.  Moses was humble, lowly, poor in spirit.  I have known some extremely shy, what we would call backward people, but not the meekest man in the earth!)

 

a.  God chose Moses.  Hebrews 11:23  By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment.  (If God choses you to serve Him, it is He that will equip you.)

 

b.  God sent Moses.  Exodus 3:10-12  Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.  (11)  And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?  (12)  And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.  (If God sends you, He will go with you.)

 

c.  God used Moses.  Deuteronomy 34:10  And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face,  (IF God uses you, He will be glorified through you.)

 

d.  Who am I?  Moses felt inadequate to deliver the people of God, but he was the man of God’s choosing.  God would give him the ability that he lacked.  The meekest man in all the earth would lead the millions of Jews out of bondage and to the Promised Land.  When it is impossible with us, it is possible with God.

 

e.  Will you and I walk with God when we come to the end of self?  What you are not, God is!

 

2.  The impossibility of Moses’ Foe.  Exodus 3:10-11  Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.  (11)  And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?  (God sent a man who could and would get the job done!  The task was already done in God’s eyes before He ever sent Moses.) 

 

a.  God raised Pharaoh up.  Romans 9:17  For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh (Exodus 9:16), Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.  (God placed him upon the throne of Egypt because he was a God hater and a cruel taskmaster.)

 

b.  God hardened his heart.  Exodus 10:27-28  But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he would not let them go.  (28)  And Pharaoh said unto him, Get thee from me, take heed to thyself, see my face no more; for in that day thou seest my face thou shalt die.  (Pharaoh had already hardened his own heart and God finished the job!)

 

c.  Will you and I walk with God when facing an impossible foe?  What you can’t do, God can!

 

3.  The impossibility of Moses’ Journey.  Exodus 3:12  And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain. (God had already promised complete deliverance before He ever sent Moses!)

 

a.  The impossibility of the Red Sea!  The Gulf of Aqaba.  With mountains on either side, Pharaoh’s army bearing down upon them, and the Red Sea before the—God said, “Go forward?”  The impossibility of impossibilities!  (The Red Sea!  A man standing on the shore can only see app. 3 miles because of the curvature of the earth so all that Israel saw was water.  They may as well have been standing on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean as far as their view was concerned.)

 

b.  The impossibility of the Command!  “Go forward.” Exodus 14:14-16  The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.  (15)  And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward:  (16)  But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. (Can you imagine?  Nothing but water ahead with no visible path to cross and God commanded Moses to tell Israel to “go forward.”  There will be times in your life that you will see only the impossible lying before you, but God gives you no option but to move ahead.)

 

c.  The impossibility of the Crossing!  “Dry ground!”  Exodus 15:8  And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea.  (God divided that great body of water with the blast of His nostrils.  They went through a path of dry ground with over a mile of water standing on either side.)

 

Matthew 19:26  But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

 

d.  Will you and I walk with God when facing our “Red Sea?”

 

4.  The Impossibility of Feeding and Watering the Nation of Israel in the Desert!

 

a.  Manna From Heaven.  Exodus 16:35  And the children of Israel did eat manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat manna, until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan.

 

b.  Water From the Rock.  Exodus 17:6  Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.

 

c.  Will you and I walk with God when the hard times come both financially and physically?

 

5.  Moses was a chosen man for a chosen purpose and, where God guides, God always provides.  God chose an impossible man for an impossible task to glorify a God of Impossibility!

 

Conclusion:  Will you and I walk with God when faced with impossibility?