The Lord will Reign

[0:00] Now, let us turn to the portion of Scripture that we read, the book of Exodus and chapter 15. And reading at the beginning, then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the Lord.

[0:20] I will sing to the Lord, for he has tripped gloriously. The Lord and the horse and the rider he has thrown into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.

[0:37] This is my God, and I will praise him, my Father's God, and I will exalt him. And again at verse 18, the Lord will reign forever and ever.

[0:54] There are many comparisons that we find here with ourselves when we come to read the history of the children of Israel, and how difficult they found the way to be.

[1:13] Anybody who thinks that the Christian faith is a smooth walk or a glide to heaven doesn't know much about the Christian faith.

[1:27] Because that's not what it is. What it is, is, it is a fact to the finish.

[1:38] And here we have some of the moments that Israel experienced that were rather pleasant.

[1:49] More so after a pride. And after the difficulty. They had just come out of the land of Egypt.

[2:01] They were bewildered with what happened there. And God didn't take them out there in one moment. There were many plagues. There were many things that were worked together.

[2:13] Up until that crisis. And that moment when they came out. And they probably thought that they were over the worst then. And nothing else would happen.

[2:25] That would stop them in the progress along this way. But that's not how the Lord works. The Lord works in his own way.

[2:39] So that not long after that we come across them at the Red Sea. With the Egyptians behind them. And the Red Sea in front of them.

[2:53] And there was no going. There to them. It was an absolute impossible situation. And that's how we see these things.

[3:05] And that is how the natural mind sees these things. And God wants us to depend upon him. More than upon our natural mind.

[3:18] When we are interpreting things like his dealings with us. In this world. There are simplistic words. That we can use at times.

[3:30] Which do not address the issue. And that is the important thing. So that we find them. Having crossed over that Red Sea.

[3:42] And now they have a moment's peace. At the other side of the sea. And they are singing praises unto God.

[3:55] It is referred to as Moses' song. Moses' song. This was an old one. This was an old poem.

[4:06] Long before the ballots of Homer were ever sung on the streets of Greece. And it was a God-centered song.

[4:19] And it was a God-centered song. Recognizing the supremacy of God. The holiness of God. The graciousness of God. Even if it was for a moment.

[4:30] We read there in the psalm. That they believed. And then in the next verse they said. It says that they didn't exercise their patience in the next step.

[4:44] And so it goes on. For the Christian in this life. Is step by step. And that is what true worship is.

[4:55] Recognizing the supremacy of God. The holiness of God. And the graciousness of God. And it ascends from hearts that have appreciated what God has done.

[5:12] That is one of the reasons. For long enough. We didn't appreciate what God did. For us on the cross of Calvary.

[5:24] And we have less excuse then. Than these people. Who were still wrestling with history at that point. They are the history that we have here. Directed bit by bit.

[5:37] Step by step. Along the way. They have come from the furnace. To freedom. That is what they experienced.

[5:49] They experienced freedom. When they came out of the land of Egypt. Then they experienced the freedom again. When they came through the Red Sea. And stopped there.

[6:00] To give praise. And glory. To God. It is a song of redemption. Proceeding. Proceeding.

[6:12] From. Redeemed hearts. That is when we sing. To God. From our hearts. Is when we are redeemed.

[6:23] When we. When everything comes together. And we realize. This is worship. This is what they do in church. This is what is beneficial to our souls.

[6:34] Is. Worshiping. In spirit. And in truth. The two on the way to Emmaus said. Did not be said.

[6:44] Our hearts burn within us. As he spoke to us. Along the way. A moment before that. Their hearts. Were downcast. There were.

[6:54] There were all sorts of questions. They thought. They thought. We thought. And all sorts of questions. But then. When Christ came into the company. Then. He explained to them.

[7:06] What it was. And. That. Or the whole. Picture changes for them. When then they say. Did not our hearts. Burn.

[7:17] Within us. As he taught us. Along. This way. And the great elements. In redemption. Are. Purchase. And.

[7:27] Power. Bronsomy. Is the payment. Of a price. Redemption. Is the deliverance. We find that.

[7:38] So often. In our own. Present day. When there are pirates. That are. Taking over ships. And. Various. Other things. Along the way. And then. They make demands.

[7:49] On the company. Demands. For. A ransom. To be paid. And if the ransom. Is paid. Then. The redemption.

[7:59] There. Then there is. The deliverance. From. That is the only way. They are going to do it. It is their way. And it is by. Delivering them. And then.

[8:11] Freedom. Is experienced. And that is. How it works. In the person. In a person's life. Christ died. But that is only.

[8:22] Beneficial. To us. When it is applied. Personally. To our own lives. There is no. Incarnational. Predemption.

[8:32] The fact. That Christ. Came. And that. That means. Everybody is saved. It is not. The ground. It is not. Like that. There is no. Sacrament. Of grace. There is no.

[8:44] Grace. That comes. To you. Through the sacraments. And there is no. Baptismal. Regeneration. The fact. That I have been. Baptized. I am assured.

[8:55] That I am a Christian. It doesn't work. Now. Because. All that. Nullifies. The cross. Of. Carly. There is no.

[9:06] True song. In the heart. Until this. Now. Until. We are. Redeemed. He said. He put a new song. In my mouth. My God.

[9:17] To magnify. On believing. Faith. Is. God's goodness. And greatness. Sang. From. The heart.

[9:30] They. In Psalm 106. They said. In verse 12. Then. They believed. The word. And praised. To him. In songs. Did give. Is that not the case.

[9:42] In your own. Personal life. When that happened. That moment. He said. I first believed. Things changed. And things were different. Things could never be the same again.

[9:55] Realistically. If we take it serious. And how different from the previous moment. Where they were. In that seemingly impossible situation.

[10:06] That you and I can find ourselves. On God's highway of life here. In a seemingly impossible situation. Where nothing makes sense.

[10:17] In the midst. Of time. In the fog. Of time. And the day. And the experiences. And nothing makes sense to you. That's how they found themselves.

[10:31] And they couldn't release themselves. From that situation. Until God released them. And brought them back. That's the process. Of sanctification. That we speak of.

[10:42] In the Bible. As we are poured. From one vessel. To another vessel. As a spirit. Of the Lord. Amen. In the house of bondage.

[10:54] They sighed. And cried. But now. The sighing has given away. Given way to singing. Sing. Unto the Lord.

[11:07] What brought this change about you? How was this possible? Well. It was through two things. The blood of the Lamb. That they were told.

[11:18] To put on the doorposts. And upon the lintel. And the power of God. That is revealed to us. In chapter 13.

[11:31] Regarding what this. What had happened then. Say. And because of that. You see. We find. That he says in chapter 13.

[11:42] And verse 3. Then Moses said to the people. Remember this day. In which you came out. From Egypt. Out of the house of slavery. For by a strong hand. The Lord brought you out.

[11:54] From this place. By a strong hand. The Lord has brought you up. From this place. The Lord brought them out of Egypt. Brought them down into Egypt.

[12:05] First of all. They multiplied there. Then he brought them out. Of Egypt. Then he brought them. Out. Across the Red Sea. To where we find them. Here.

[12:15] With this song. That they are singing. Which it says to us. It's implied. That we cannot save ourselves.

[12:28] Cannot save ourselves. It is all of grace. It is all of God. It has to be. So there are key elements.

[12:40] In this song. That I want just to say. A few things about. In the retirement spell. That we have together. That this song was. First of all.

[12:50] It was a powerful song. He has triumphed. Glorious. He has triumphed. Gloriously. It was a majestic act.

[13:04] Of surpassing. Anything that was natural. Because. It wasn't natural. It was supernatural.

[13:17] And your salvation tonight. Is supernatural. Sense says. It won't be done. Reason says.

[13:31] It can't be done. Faith says. It can. And it will be done. That's the difference.

[13:42] You see. That's where we have to get off. The natural plateau. In a sense. To focus upon. The spiritual things.

[13:53] Why. Was. Why would this be done? Why was this such a majestic act? Why should it be done? Because. God had said so. He said. When you bring them forth out.

[14:05] You say. You will stand on the mountains. And give praise to me. And they were on the way. To doing that.

[14:18] Pranked over the natural force. Of life. Just the same as Jesus. On the sea of Galilee. There. And they said. And in other places. And they said. Oh what manner of man is this.

[14:30] That even the wind. And the waves. Are obedient. Unto him. See what it does. It doesn't leave any room.

[14:43] For questioning. It is crystal clear. For a moment. It's not a coincidence. That has happened here. There is no room.

[14:54] For arguing. When you believe. There is no. Room. At that very second. For the devil. To come in. Because. The supreme one.

[15:05] Has taken over. And he has gloriously. Revealed himself. To you. What comes after that. Is different. Of course it is. Satan comes and attacks that.

[15:16] But not at this point. In the case. Because. He does it. With that. Supremacy.

[15:27] And in such a majestic way. That the psalmist could say. This is the doing of the Lord. And wondrous. In our eyes.

[15:38] This is the doing of the Lord. And wondrous. In our eyes. A people. In an impossible situation.

[15:50] In the grip of the might. Of Egypt. In the fear of their life. From another attack. From them. But the Bible tells us.

[16:01] That God is able to save. Unto the uttermost. Those who come to him. Through Jesus Christ. It draws our attention.

[16:15] To the might. How great is your God. That's the question. But I'll do that. With that. Title on it.

[16:26] Your God is too small. But here you see. This God is no small. This God. Specializes.

[16:38] In things. Thought impossible. He can work wonders. And work them for you. We come up against the impossibility.

[16:51] Against the buffers of time. And we feel. That we have failed. We feel. That we cannot go on. Because we are.

[17:01] Depending upon ourselves. God never said. That we could go on. That we could do anything. He said. You can't do nothing. Without me. Nothing. We can do a lot of power.

[17:13] Of course we can't. But I said. When it comes to the kingdom. It has to be him. This is the God. If he was to mark iniquity.

[17:24] Who could stand. The things that frightened them before. Are the things now. That are dead in the depth. Like a stone. You see. They went down.

[17:36] Unto the depth. Like a stone. And it wasn't. The stone doesn't come back up. Once it enters. Into. Into. The depth. That is why.

[17:50] He was saying there. Why art thou cast down. My soul. Do you have moments like that. If you are real. And if you are. In the Christian faith here.

[18:00] And if you are honest. With yourself. Don't you have moments. When you say. All things are against me. Why are you cast down.

[18:12] The silence. The silence. The silence. And who can bring you out. Of that situation. But God himself. Who says. Still. Trust. In God.

[18:24] Still. Trust. In God. The theme. Of the song. Another witness.

[18:35] Is. What God. Has done. Not what I have done. Or you have done. Or anybody else. In this world. Is to get the focus. On to what God.

[18:46] Has done for us. What God. Did in Christ. On the cross. Of Calvary. For you. And for me. If we believe. For his people.

[18:59] Christ. Has triumphed. He has triumphed. And he said. Because you. I have triumphed. You will also triumph.

[19:11] Christ. Amen. Amen. And that. Brings us. To the second point. That we have here. Not just a poet.

[19:21] Or song. But it's a very. Personal song. He says. It is. He said. Lord is. My strength. My song.

[19:33] He has become. My salvation. This is. My God. That is the way. This is how. He expresses it. So personal.

[19:44] Salvation. Is. Personal. Personal. He has delivered. His people.

[19:55] Israel. Israel. And because. This is personal. It deals with you. And with me. As if there is no one else. In this world.

[20:08] That moment. As far as you're concerned. As I'm concerned. There was no one else. In this world. It wasn't someone. Down the road. Sins. That upset us.

[20:19] There wasn't someone. Else. Down the road. Or something. Who said something else. It was. All you. Against thee. The only. Have I sinned. That's the real.

[20:29] That's how real. It is. That's how personal. It is. I have. To. Deal. With my sins. And I can't. Deal. With my sins.

[20:40] Myself. I can't. Save myself. It doesn't matter. Whether I burn. My body. Or whatever. I do. Is in this world. It's nothing. But Jesus.

[20:52] Come. Save. You. He has delivered. Here. And these people. Now. Have a moment.

[21:02] Of. Peace. And joy. Having. Overcome. The difficulties. Of the previous. Day. And they have.

[21:13] A peace. Within their heart. They have. A joy. In their heart. It's not. A spontaneous. Joy. Like the world. It's not that.

[21:25] There's a lot of places. That go for that. You see. And they say. Well. It says. There's a joy. In the. In the. In the. Bible. Yes. It says. There's joy. In the Lord. It is the joy. That God gives you.

[21:35] In your heart. That you can. Sing. From your heart. There. In the midst. Of all the difficulties. Of life. A deep.

[21:47] Peace. A deep. Peace. The world rejoices. In the circumstances. A lot of people. Would have been.

[21:57] Would have been. Rejoicing over the weekend. It would not come. Quick enough. Because they would have wanted. The hilarity. Of the weekend. And then. It's. It casts them out.

[22:09] And it's all over. And it has. It's unfulfilled. It wasn't lasting. It was so artificial. So artificial.

[22:20] What goes on. Over in town. And all these things. For a moment. It lifts. The spirit up. And then it. It's down. Again. Because.

[22:32] That's not salvation. That's a coach. That gets you. From one place. To another place. God. And that's what we want. To get out of.

[22:43] And get into. The Bible. And into our saviour. Because. There is nothing right. Nothing. It doesn't matter about.

[22:54] The difficult times. There are. Of course there are difficult times. As we said at the beginning. There are trials. And tribulations. That afflict. The just. Every day of their life.

[23:04] And many of them would say. If it wasn't for God. He says. I don't know. What I would have done. In the midst of it all. See.

[23:15] When people. Projudice. Come into your home. Or into my home. And then we don't run. To the pub then. For enough. To. For people. To take care of these things.

[23:26] Where do we go to? Well we come to the word of God. And to God. And to the comfort. That is there. Guaranteed for us. Of course there are others. To these things nowadays.

[23:37] But that's not real. That's what I mean. It's not real. That is just. Another form. Of escapism. From the world.

[23:49] Because they only rejoice. In the circumstances. And the experiences. That we have. That's what leaves so much sadness. In homes today.

[24:02] That's what leaves so many children. Not knowing. Which way to turn. In the midst of it all. The passion.

[24:13] And work. Of Jesus Christ. Is what we recommend. Because it worked for us. And we know it worked. For them. Back in their day.

[24:24] We know that it worked. In past generations. And we know it will work. In this generation. And in generations to come. That the world is still here.

[24:37] He has become. He said. My salvation. With Thomas. He says. My Lord. And my God.

[24:49] My Lord. And my God. And such desires. God's presence. With them. And that's a great privilege.

[25:03] To have. In this world. God's greater. As he. That is with you. And in you. Than anything. That can ever be against you. Well might they say.

[25:18] With a. With a hymn writer. Ransom. Heal. Restore. Forgiver. Who like me. Who is praise. Should sing. And it had a profound effect.

[25:32] On the surrounding nations. The peoples. In verse 4. He said. Have heard. They tremble. Thanks. Have seized the inhabitants. Of Philistia. There is encouragement.

[25:43] For the young people. There as well. As I was. As I was. With Moses. So I will be. With you. There is nothing.

[25:54] Out with. It's because. Of the immutability. Of his promise. And that is. The oath.

[26:06] That he swore. Upon himself. And. The promise. Cannot fail. Because. Where he begins.

[26:17] A good work. He will always. Bring it on. To flourish. So you might ask. But that. What about today? Or what about the relevance.

[26:27] Of that. In our present day. In our. Post. Modern day. Where everything. And anything. Goes. And nothing. Really. No absolute. Nothing. In the life.

[26:38] Except what man. Says. Well. When you displace God. That's what happens. That you see the chaos. Because the word of God. In this.

[26:49] There's a timelessness. About it. Timelessness. It doesn't change. With the seasons. It doesn't change. With the year. It is the same.

[27:01] Uninfactual. When it touches your heart. If it was to touch your heart tonight. It would have been the same. As Moses is there. It would have been the same. As anyone else.

[27:11] Because. Because. Everything. With God. Is today. It's not tomorrow. It's not yesterday. It's not the day afterwards.

[27:23] Everything. With God. Is today. It is. In his. Eternal. Presence. That's why. We cannot.

[27:34] See the picture. Developing. We cannot. We cannot. Know. How things. Are going. But he knows. And that's why. Last point. It is.

[27:45] A powerful song. It's a personal song. But it's a. Permanent song. Permanent song. The Lord.

[27:57] He said. Doth reign. Forever. And. This is the one. Who has. Dined. And risen. Again. From the dead.

[28:09] And he has. Risen. In the power. Of an endless. Life. And that is. The power. That works. Personally. In your life. And my life. When Christ. Comes.

[28:22] Power. Of an endless. Life. That's not. Easy. Easy. To. To. To. Take in. In a sense. Because.

[28:32] Some things. In this world. We are used to things. That have an end. Everything comes to an end. In this life. But here. We have something. That is endless. Endless.

[28:44] And only God. Could bring that. To our attention. And bring it into this world. An endlessness. That's why. It satisfies you.

[28:54] I challenge anybody here. Tonight. Who doesn't have Christ. Who has problems. With that. To taste. And see.

[29:05] If he. This means disappointment. It doesn't. It doesn't. It's. It's. It's. An eternal. Redemption. That he brought him. Because.

[29:18] We need. We need. Something. Permanent. In this. Shifting. Sands. Of time. In this world. Where everything. Is.

[29:28] On the move. We need. Something. That is. Permanent. That we can. Latch onto. And know. We're safe. That is why.

[29:40] He gives us. Christ. As the anchor. Of our soul. Not anchored. In anything. Here. In this world. But. Within the veil.

[29:52] And nothing. Touches it there. We need. That. Permanent. And people. Then. Can sing.

[30:03] This song. Along. Though. In the most. Unlikely. Of places. In the midst. Of the greatest. Tragedies. That life. Can ploy. The worst.

[30:16] Illness. That can come. Your way. And even. On the death. Bed. Because. Of the.

[30:26] Permanence. There was. A young man. On this island. Many years ago. When the old. Lewis hospital. Was. Was.

[30:36] In action. And. That. At that time. What we know now. As. This. Heart disease. Wasn't. As popular.

[30:47] Then. As it is now. He was one of the first. The first ones. To. To know. For a young person. Anyway. It was very. Very unusual. To see it happen. But it was happening. And he was in the.

[30:59] In the Lewis hospital. Up there. And. They got to know him. And he. Had a bible. On his locker. And the nurse.

[31:11] Said to him. I see. She said. That you have a bible. On your locker there. And he said. Nothing. Else. Nothing. Else. Matters. Matters. To me.

[31:21] Now. Nothing. That's all. That matters. Everything else. Was. Soon to be in the past. But.

[31:33] Now. He says. I'm rooted. In this one. In the permanent. Word. Of the living. God. He said. Nothing else.

[31:44] Matters. To me. Now. But. Today. Everything else. Seems to matter. Except that. Isn't it? Everything else.

[31:57] Seems to matter. And yet. It doesn't matter. At the end. Because. Mary chose. The good part. That. That. Never be taken. From you.

[32:10] That was the last. That was the last thing. Because. She wasn't redeemed. Silver. Or gold. Or precious jewels. But by. Thy mercy.

[32:21] You said. In thy mercy. You have saved us. And he was to be with them. To guide them. Until the very. End of life.

[32:34] He is so life. And the length of our days. This is not about. A hopeless end. It is about.

[32:44] An endless hope. And there is. The world of difference. The world of difference. The world of difference. The world of difference. The world of difference. The world of difference. Between. Something. Something. As a hopeless end.

[32:57] Or an endless hope. And will sway between one or the other. Here. Today. And no case of hopeless.

[33:09] For as long as Christ. Lives. The first step. Is to be brought. Out. Of bondage. Into Jesus.

[33:20] Into the liberty. That doesn't grant us. The liberty. To do anything. That we want. Ourselves. That's not what it is. We are set free. As Augustine said.

[33:30] Man is free. When he delights. To do. God's work. That's what he's free. When he delights to do. Not when he's dragging. Or when it's a huge duty.

[33:41] Or something. But when he delights. To do. God's will. You will find that. In your own personal life. As you go on.

[33:52] If that's the case. Helps them in this world. And helps them into heaven. Joins them in the heavenly praise. Of revelation. In verse.

[34:04] Chapter 15. That speaks about. This very song. It tells us about. Verse 3. And they sing.

[34:14] The song of Moses. The servant of God. And the song of the Lamb. Saying. Great and amazing. Are your deeds. That goes on.

[34:30] Nothing can separate us. From the love of God. Once it is out. And the wonderful thing. Has meant to matter. Yet.

[34:42] There is room. Yet. There is room. Yet. Your place. Is there. A hope.

[34:52] But there. In your nurturing. A hope. A hope. A hope. A hope. A hope. A hope. Would you prefer. An endless hope. Believe.

[35:04] Said. In the Lord. Jesus Christ. And you shall. Be. Saved. For time. And.

[35:14] For. Eternity. A powerful song. A passionate song. And a permanent song. Amen.

[35:26] Lord. Let us pray. Lord. We thank you. For the grace. That enables us. To carry on. My grace.

[35:38] He said. Is sufficient. For you. And yet. He prayed. Again. And again. And yet. He got no answer. Except that the grace. Was sufficient.

[35:49] To see him. Through. Help us Lord. From making. Unreal demands. Upon you. But to wait. Upon thee. And to snow. That.

[36:00] Those who wait. Upon the Lord. Shall have their strength. Renewed. Go before us. Now Lord. We pray. Pacify the very murmurings. Of our hearts.

[36:12] Forgive us. In Jesus name. Amen. Amen. Amen. We conclude.

[36:23] By singing. To God's praise. In Psalm number 37. Metrical Psalm 37. At verse 32. Wait on the Lord.

[36:33] And keep his way. And be exalted. Shall he. The earth to inherit. When cut off. The wicked. Thou shalt see. I saw the wicked. Great and proud. Spread like a green bay.

[36:44] Three. He passed. Yea. Was not. Him I saw. But. He could not be. Moth thou the perfect. And behold. The man of uprightness. Because.

[36:55] That surely. To this man. The laughter. End. Is peace. Three verses. To God's praise. Psalm 37.

[37:06] Verse 34. Wait on the Lord. And keep his way. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[37:16] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[37:49] Amen. Amen. Amen.

[38:19] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[38:34] Amen. Amen.

[38:47] the journey of this mountain that at the end is peace.

[39:04] And now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit rest upon you and remain with you now and ever Lord. Amen.