A Call to Remember
Page of
Chapter 3
1 “Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.
2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”
4 When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.”
5 “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6 Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.
7 The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.
9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”
Let’s pray
I think I told most of you that very recently I took a school trip to Washington DC trip with my daughter.
In the week prior to the trip, Midori and I sat down together and discussed which places were inexcusable not to see while we were there.
Knowing that we had only this one chance to see our nation's capital, how can we best use our time to make the trip as memorable as possible.
...You know... we got on the bus to head back home, and I was unsatisfied, I did not feel as though we had seen enough to really capture the amazement of my daughter while we were there.
I wished in that moment I could hit the reset button and start the trip back over because, although what we saw was good, it was not capturing the heart as I had hoped it would.
I remember being at Arlington National Cemetery, and we decided to take a trolley tour of the cemetery.
This was good because we did not have to walk the two mile trip around the cemetery, but it also allowed us to hear from the speaker on the trolley some of the rich history of that place and things the “average joe” would not know.
We got to see the tomb of the unknown soldier and watch the changing of the guard.
As I was reflecting on our text here in chapter 3 where God commands Moses to take off his sandals for he stands on holy ground, there is that picture of respect and honor to the one who deserves it.
Likewise, at the tomb of the unknown, it is sacred ground and the soldiers were perfect in their respect to the men who gave up both their life and their name in service to our country.
As we got back on the trolley, there was one spot where the trolley stopped at, called the Arlington House, where Robert E Lee’s memorial is, and the announcer said. “I would encourage you to get off here.”
He said that when President JFK visited this site he remarked, “that the view of Washington, D.C., was so magnificent that he could stay forever.”
In that moment, something pulled at me and said, “get off.”
I contemplated what to do rather quickly as the trolley was going to move on, and I thought, I can’t take the time to see every site or we will never have enough time to see all the other things we would like to see.
We stayed on the trolley, and that moment, of that view, that was considered so magnificent to see by JFK, was forever lost to us. It may never come back.
We finished the trip up in Washington DC and like I said earlier, I left with a pit in my stomach that we did not see the things that were the most important things to see.
I wish I had taken the time to just step back and see the vast canvas painting that was our nation’s capital from viewpoint of Arlington’s hillside.
I wish I had taken the time to stand on that hillside with my daughter and point out all the great memorials which represent great works done in our nation’s history.
It is... a great regret...
This morning, I feel compelled then, to not worry about all of the specific stops in this text that we could spend valuable minutes going over, rather I want to spend the time with you showing you the canvas of the painting, in Exodus, that reflects the person of Christ, and the reason why he came.
There is nothing more important for you to see, in all of the scripture, than the reflection of Christ and his work on the cross of calvary.
If you can understand all the minute details of scripture, and yet miss the grand view that leaves you in awe, of the finished work of Christ, it will all be for nothing.
It is like going to the cemetary, and seeing all the grave markers, and having the knowledge that all of these men died in battle for you, and yet choosing, in the same moment, to not be affected by it.
As followers of Christ, how often do we look at the markers in the Bible?
How often do we look at the memorials set up in scripture that clearly reflect Christ’s sacrifice, in laying down his life so that you and I could have our freedom from the bondage of sin and of hell?
Let us not miss the opportunity to talk about some of the reflections we can see from our text this morning.
*So let’s dive in: If I were to ask you what salvation means, what would you say?
RESPONSE
Salvation is defined - by saying that it has the idea of, the preservation or deliverance from harm, ruin, or loss.
When we look at the overall scene of these few chapters of Exodus, I want you to imagine yourself as if you are standing on the hill of Arlington. I want you to look over the text like you are looking towards the memorials of great works done.
Can you see the beauty of the text and how it reflects perfectly the work of Jesus saving his people from the bondage of sin and death?
In chapter 1 we see the memorial site of our bondage. Perhaps you can imagine that there is a POW flag raised on a pole in front of it.
From the outside of this memorial we can see pictures of slavery.
Look at Exodus 1
“11 So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. 12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites 13 and worked them ruthlessly. 14 They made their lives bitter with harsh labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their harsh labor the Egyptians worked them ruthlessly.”
Here represents a literal people who were being ruthlessly treated. They are in bondage to the government of that day. They are oppressed and helpless to break free from those chains.
They are driven to hard labor, and the construction of worldly, fallen cities, which do not stand the test of time.
This memorial stands as a testimony of the persecutions of the Israelites, but... if we look closer, it also reflects us and who we were... in our, sinful condition. We were completely lost in our sin, and we are likewise completely in bondage to it.
The Israelites had no choice but to build for Pharaoh, and we, when lost in our sin, cannot control our tendency to build for ourselves lives independent of God.
We build for ourselves, or we build for others by having employment that creates bigger and bigger companies who seek after the world’s wealth so that they can live in their mansions and drive their fancy cars.
And likewise, we allow them to work us that way, because we have fallen into debt. Or we desire a certain income level. We blindly sold our freedom, for the enjoyments of this world and now the world has its control over us.
In all of our desire to fulfill or flesh, we have become slaves to it. And as we sin, by living for ourselves, the world fills our pockets with worries of this life. Like a seed thrown in with the weeds.
And even worse, comes all the additional sin, that has taken root in our heart, as we try to free ourselves in our own power.
So perhaps we steal time at work to get ahead, we say we left at 5 when we really left at 4. We rob our neighbor of goods due him, we lie about where we have been and justify it by saying it was for the good of the family.
But John 8:34 “Jesus answered them saying, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.”
One sin turns into another sin, which all continue to bind you to the sinful world, which desires to own you. We were slaves to a system, we were slaves to sin.
And what do we get for our self centered and sinful work? Death!
Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin” what you have earned by living for yourself, and not for God, “is death,” That is the earnings of the world’s slave... “but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
We, like the people in Exodus, need a deliverer. Someone who will come in and overthrow that which keep us in bondage.
Someone who will give us a gift, a gift of grace, a gift we did not deserve or earn!
These Israelites needed to be set free from the oppression of the Pharaoh, the ruling authority of their day, otherwise, the goal was to exterminate them. To reduce their population to extinction… that is where sin leads us… to death and extinction, and we, like the these people, needed to be delivered, needed to be set free from our bondage.
What is so amazing to me is that God in his omniscience, God in his foreknowledge, knew already that this would be required.
That His people, which are called by his name, would need a savior to redeem his people out of bondage.
If you are still standing on the hill with me, just glance at chapters 2 and 3.
Here is a memorial, a written record of a man who obeyed the call to redeem his people out of bondage. His name is Moses.
What cannot be overlooked is that Moses’s birth and all of his adolescent years to include his time away from egypt, come before the people of Israel recognize their need of a deliverer and or call out to God for help.
They don’t cry out till verse 23!
In other words, God in his omniscience, God in his perfect and complete knowledge, God in his own initiative and will, was already working behind the scenes to orchestrate, to raise up a man who looked like His perfect son, to redeem the nation of Israel from bondage.
Better said, God did not wait for man to call upon him for deliverance before he started to deliver.
God did not need man to tell him that they needed help, God already knew!
God was already answering their cry for help before a word had left their lips!
That is how amazing God is!
Psalm 139:4 says, “Even before I have formed a word with my tongue, you, LORD, know it completely!”
Friend I will take a little rabbit trail here to remind you…
Here me now… God already knows how you feel.
I need you God!
He is the all knowing, all perceiving, all loving God, who is ready to bring you to rest as you trust him!
Here is your proof! Right here in chapter 2... even before the people cry out to God for help, a redeemer, a deliverer is already been put in place, for them, and his name is Moses.
He is a type of Christ, who reflects the person of Christ, that we see in the New Testament.
Moses reflects many of the same characteristics that Christ also carries.
This is not coincidence.
This is not chance, all of the Bible is inspired and written to point you towards Christ, it is all about him.
Let me provide some examples in how Moses reflects our redeemer, Jesus Christ.
And I could continue. There are more than 40 of these that you could point to and say that Moses was a type of, or a reflection of, Christ.
And Moses came to Egypt in obedience to God to redeem His people. To come in the power and might of the one true God to free a people who could not free themselves.
Christ also came in obedience to the father to redeem you!
I believe then, that it is not only right for us to remember God’s work in our life, but we are also commanded by God to remember His work.
He wants you to remember that He is the God who showed himself great, and delivered you. He wants you to spend time at this memorial remembering your slavery, and remembering his redemptive work.
Here is why I say this:
We read in Exodus 3:8 which said,
"So I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite.
And from this point on, he repeats himself over and over again, constantly dragging these people back to the memorial by saying -
"I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” Exodus 20:2
He repeats himself this same way in:
Exodus 7:4; Exodus 7:5; Exodus 12:17; Exodus 12:51; Exodus 13:9; Exodus 13:14; Exodus 13:16; Exodus 16:32; Exodus 18:1; Exodus 29:46
We get into the book of Leviticus, and he says in -
Leviticus 11:45
'For I am the LORD who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God; thus you shall be holy, for I am holy.'"
Leviticus 26:13
'I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt so that you would not be their slaves, and I broke the bars of your yoke and made you walk erect.
He continues to repeat himself:
Leviticus 19:36; Leviticus 22:33; Leviticus 23:43; Leviticus 25:38; Leviticus 25:42; Leviticus 25:55; Leviticus 26:45
Numbers 15:41
"I am the LORD your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt to be your God; I am the LORD your God."
Deuteronomy 5:6
'I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
Repeated:
Deuteronomy 4:20; Deuteronomy 4:37; Deuteronomy 6:12; Deuteronomy 6:21; Deuteronomy 7:8; Deuteronomy 7:19; Deuteronomy 9:26; Deuteronomy 13:5; Deuteronomy 13:10; Deuteronomy 16:1; Deuteronomy 20:1; Deuteronomy 26:8; Deuteronomy 29:25
Is not obvious that God wants us to remember that he alone has saved Israel? He alone brought them out of slavery, and he alone should be honored and glorified and never forgotten!
We are likewise - equally responsible to remember the redeeming work of our Lord and Savior.
Christ’s memorial was recorded for us in 1 Corinthians 11:23
“For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread 24 and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
25 In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this in remembrance of me as often as you drink it.” 26 For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.”
Q: Is it not clear that we have a call to remember?… How will we answer that call?
One man from a different time said it this way -
“We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract.”
Do you know who said this?
What if I started it this way:
“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war.”
Who is this?
This is famously called the Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln November 19, 1863.
- What I find interesting about his speech is that he said:
“The world will little note, nor long remember what we “say” here, but it can never forget what they did here.”
He could never have been more incorrect. His speech is one of the most famous speeches ever delivered and it is also immortalized on the walls of his memorial in Washington D.C.
His words were exactly what the nation needed to hear following the greatest sacrifice of life the nation ever sacrificed. 620,000 men lost their lives on our nation’s civil war.
As we close, listen to Abe’s wise words as he directed the people of this nation:
“It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us... to be here... dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
What an amazing challenge.
On this memorial day, I am also... so inspired... to be the ones dedicated here, in this church, to continue to remember Christ, and what Christ died to give us.
For his great and costly sacrifice... he is due, not only my respect, and my thanks, but an increased devotion for the cause for which he gave the full measure of devotion to me!
So that others, may have the birth into freedom, as I have received, by coming to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ our Lord.
AMEN
Then this is your call… a call to remember!