The Chosen

Listen to God’s own word Revelation 17:14 “They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.””

Called and chosen and faithful.

That is who we are.

I’ve fretted over you for the last 4 weeks.

We marinated in chapter 32 of Exodus for along time and chapter 32 is all about sin.

We languished in sin for four long weeks and I was concerned it felt like a four week beat down.

And I know we could have moved on but the text wouldn’t let us.

The Lord had to remind His Chosen that

Contrary to world’s message that we are special exactly as we are

We are, instead, as Revelation 3:17 says: “For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.”

And we would have stayed that way, except that

We are chosen.

We should not be ashamed to proclaim it.

We should not be hesitant, reticent or silent but instead we should proclaim it from the rooftops.

I AM CHOSEN

Our text today is Exodus 33 - the entire 23 verses.

One of our deacons, Cecil Ethridge, read the first 11 verses for us - I’ll start in a moment with the 12th verse.

While you look it up, let me speak to the kids for just a moment.

Boys and girls,

Jesus brought you here today.

He didn’t invite you here, He called you here.

And the message that you heard in Sunday School and the message you are about to hear is exactly what He wanted you to hear today.

Jesus is calling you.

He is calling you to be saved and He is calling you to a life of purpose and hope.

Jesus wants you to be one of the Chosen.

He wants to make you especially His.

To help you pay attention, there are three words that you’ll be listening for: Chosen, Know and Jesus.

In fact, let me pray for you right now - will you bow your heads.

Dear gracious and good Father,

Before we read Your Word and begin to hear Your message, we ask You

Humbly and with care - please let us see your presence.

As we understand what we hear, let us know that it is Your Holy Spirit opening our eyes

Because you want us to see you

You want us to be Chosen.

Please dear Father, save us, save these children, through the sacrifice of Jesus and the power of Your Holy Spirit,

We pray. Amen

Having your Bibles open to Exodus 33, follow along as I begin with verse 12.

Hear now the Word of the Lord from Exodus 33:12-23

Exodus 33:12–23 ESV

Moses said to the Lord, “See, you say to me, ‘Bring up this people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.’ Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people.” And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” And he said to him, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?” And the Lord said to Moses, “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.” Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” And the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.”

This is the Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

We’ve wallowed in sin for four weeks for a reason

Four weeks is a long time

Maybe you can ignore the message for a week or two

But after four weeks, we have to say - this was us.

We were “wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.”

We’ve each done horrible things that we are greatly ashamed of doing.

In the Book of Luke, Chapter 7, there is a story of a woman who crashed the dinner party Jesus was a guest at.

While they all ate and talked, this woman slipped in.

She went to where Jesus was and she broke down in tears.

Her tears got mixed in with the ointment she poured out on his feet.

And she used her hair as a wash cloth and towel.

She knew what kind of woman she was

She didn’t need anyone else to tell her

She was well aware of everything that she had ever done.

There was a lot said at that table - but when it was all said and done

Jesus ended the conversation with these words: Luke 7:47-48

Luke 7:47–48 ESV

Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

Luke 7:50 ESV

And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

This woman was chosen.

In spite of her life, in spite of her sin.

She was chosen.

Her faith proved it.

We are chosen.

And it’s our faith - mine and yours - that proves it.

So what are so things we can know about being chosen.

When we are chosen

We are hungry

Look at verse 13 Exodus 33:13 “Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people.””

Most of our translation say some variation of “show me now your ways,” the NIV says “teach me your ways,”

And that sounds a bit benign - it sounds like we just want more knowledge - but that’s not it at all.

Let’s put it in context.

Think about where they’ve just come from.

Their sin was so egregious that Yahweh was ready to erase them from the face of the earth.

But He didn’t.

And Moses knows that.

Moses knows just how angry the Lord was

And do you know what Moses’ fear is?

That the Lord won’t be with them any more.

Moses was hungry

He had a gnawing in his gut

It’s like he had not eaten in days

“I’ve got to know that we are alright with You

“I’ve got to know or I’ll die.

Does that sound familiar to you?

Have you ever said something as desperate as that?

That what you’ve done is so much - that who you are is so much - that you feel like the Lord won’t ever be close to you ever again.

That’s what Moses is saying.

“Cause me Lord, Cause me to know that we’re going to be all right with you.”

“Cause me to know your ways, cause me to know how you operate so that I can know that I find favor in your sight.

“Because if I know you - I’ll know what 's right and that’s where I want to be - I want to be right with you.”

Listen to verse 15 Exodus 33:15 “And he said to him, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here.”

“Lord, I can’t live without you.”

Please, show me that you and we are OK.

Moses was hungry for the Lord.

Verse 16 Exodus 33:16 “For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?””

When we are chosen

We are distinct

What does it mean that we are distinct?

The word translated distinct means, “treat specially,” “treat excellently.”

So, when Moses says, “so that we are distinct,” he’s says, so that we are treated specially, that we are treated excellently

So that we are treated - listen, listen, listen, listen - so that we are treated unlike anyone else of the face of the earth

How shall it be known?

How shall the people on the left?

How shall the people on the right?

How shall the woke, the unwoke?

The elite and the red neck know that we have found favor in your sight?

That we are distinct.

That we are unlike anyone else on the face of the earth.

There are two answers and they are both God’s work.

Number one - “Is it not in your going with us...”

We are special because, in spite of everything, Yahweh is with us.

In spite of it all - every sin, every everything - in spite of it all

It is because God is with US - US

Yahweh chooses US.

I so want you to hear this.

Daughter whose daddy left - your heavenly Father chooses you

Son who feels like he never lives up - your heavenly Father chooses you

For everyone struggling with their marriage

Struggling with their finances

Struggling with their identity

For everyone who is just struggling

If you are a Christ follower, our heavenly Father chooses us.

He makes us distinct from any other people in the entire universe.

Number two - listen to verse 17 Exodus 33:17 “And the Lord said to Moses, “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.””

“I know you by name.”

We have the best communication and yet we are the loneliest people.

We all want so desperately to be someone to someone.

That drives us to all kinds of crazy things.

We will do almost anything to be noticed.

Most of us feel like we are invisible

Crushed by the machine

Powerless in front on the insurmountable power of - everything.

All in all we’re just another brick in the wall.

And that’s true to everyone except

To those that the Lord calls Chosen

“I know your name.”

Out of the 8 billion people on the planet

“I know your name”

“And I am with you”

You are not alone - every where you go, I’ll be there too.

And listen to verse 14 Exodus 33:14 “And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.””

Listen to Jesus: Matthew 11:28

Matthew 11:28 ESV

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Jesus said the same thing.

“I will give you rest.”

How do we get it?

Same as Moses, “Come to me, learn from me

And “I will give you rest.”

I know you want to feel that rest

So how do we get it?

It doesn’t start with feeling - it starts with seeing.

You see, when we are chosen

We can see with our own eyes the Lord’s mercy

Two things to see

First, don’t try to figure why things work out like they do because you can’t.

The end of verse 19 explains it: Exodus 33:19 “... And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.”

There is not a formula

God will never make sense - He is not a transaction

If I do enough of God’s good it will outweigh the bad

That’s not a thing

Because you were chosen.

Rest in the fact that it’s not all up to you

It’s not up to you.

It’s. Not. Up. To. You.

The world isn’t on your shoulders

We can’t own the problems of the world.

We can’t fix everything.

The only thing we can know, is we are chosen.

Which gives us point two

Number two, you can see God’s mercy if you choose to see it.

There’s every possibility in the world that you’ve just recently gone through a hard time.

If you have, let me ask you, do you think the Lord knew ahead of time that you had a hard time on the horizon?

Do you think the Lord knew ahead of time how that hard time was going to turn out?

Do you think for a skinny minute that it was your wisdom or charisma that turned the solution in your favor?

Or that caused it to blow up in your face?

Think about this:

The nation of Israel is stuck in the wilderness.

They could go back to Egypt, but how would that work out?

They have the promised land in front of them, but they aren’t there yet.

What is their part in this?

Keep following the Lord.

When we follow the Lord, what happens?

He delivers - every single time.

And if we stop and we pay attention - we can see that.

The Lord delivers us - every single time.

Not because we are so good at following

But because He has chosen us.

For they who shall be heirs of eternal life, are chosen by the celestial Father to be children in Christ; and when chosen, they are committed to his care and protection as their shepherd.

John Calvin (French Reformer); John Owen (Puritan Divine and Statesman)

Think about sheep for a minute.

The sheep can hear the shepherd’s voice, can’t they?

The sheep can see the shepherd’s work, can’t they?

Certainly we are smarter than sheep, aren’t we?

Without making it up

Without squeezing square pegs in round holes

We can see the presence of God in our lives.

If there is nothing different in your life than in anyone else’s life

I would caution you about feeling comfortable in your relationship with the Lord.

If your life is just like everyone else’s in the world

You may be seeing the Lord’s common grace

You know, Matthew 5:45 “... For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”

But common grace is not saving grace.

You see saving grace when you realize just how tragic your sins are.

Your heart screams, like Moses in verse 15 Exodus 33:15 “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here.”

Saving grace is when you cry out, “If you will not save me, then I am lost forever.”

Are you hungry for the Lord?

Do you see how you are different from the world?

Can you see the Lord active in your life?

Do you know you are saved?

If you are here, the Lord is calling out to you.

He’s made it possible for you to see Him

And He’s made it possible for you to follow Him.

The question is now, will you do it?

Will you follo‌w Jesus?

Let us pray.

The Lord’s Supper

When Paul instructed the Corinthian Church how to do communion, he used this sentence.

1 Corinthians 11:26 ESV

For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Notice two things about what he said.

First, we proclaim the Lord’s death

We look back to Jesus’ death burial and resurrection that saved us.

Second he says, until He comes.

So we are also looking forward to the second coming.

This is not really an “in the moment” thing.

Yes, we are in the moment while we do it - but our focus is elsewhere.

We are either looking back and thinking of how fortunate we are Jesus died for us

Or we are looking forward to leaving the problems and pains of this world behind.

But there is a day coming when we will not look back nor will we look forward every again.

Revelation 19:6–9 ESV

Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”

Who is the bride?

We are - the Chosen.

We are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.

We’ve received the invitation already when we were called to salvation.

Now we’re simply counting down the days.

Let us come to the Lord’s table and let us celebrate.

As Paul told the Colossian Church:

Colossians 3:12–17 ESV

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Let us pray:

Please exit your pew to the left and move to the station closest to you.

The gluten free wafers are at the middle station.

When you are served, you may eat the bread here or take it back to your seat.

After all are served, we’ll sing a song and then we’ll have our members meeting.

As you come forward, remind yourself that you are chosen.

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