Sovereign Grace Baptist Church

Free Grace Media

Of Princeton, New Jersey

 

AuthorClay Curtis
TitleThe Purpose of Sin & Death
Bible TextExodus 10:1-2
Synopsis God purposed from eternity and allowed sin and death to enter the world that God might show his mighty works in saving his people from our sins so that those who God saves might declare his gospel to our children. Listen
Date11-Mar-2018
Series Exodus 2016
Article Type Sermon Notes
PDF Format pdf
Word Format doc
Audio HI-FI Listen: The Purpose of Sin & Death (32 kbps)
Audio CD Quality Listen: The Purpose of Sin & Death (128 kbps)
Length 48 min.
 

Series: Exodus

Title: The Purpose for Sin and Death

Text: Ex 10: 1-2

Date: March 11, 2018

Place: SGBC, New Jersey

 

Exodus 10: 1: And the LORD said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh: for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I might shew these my signs before him. 2: And that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son’s son, what things I have wrought in Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; that ye may know how that I am the LORD.

 

Sin and death entered this world according to God’s purpose that God might show his mighty works in the salvation of his people. Notice, who hardened Pharaoh’s heart and the heart of his servants—God said, “I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants.”  God left Pharaoh to Pharaoh’s own sinful will—therefore, Pharaoh hardened his own heart.  Then, since Pharaoh would not believe on God, God justly hardened his heart so that Pharaoh could not ever believe on God—it is called reprobation.

 

Be sure to understand! Every sinner has the responsibility to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.  But when scripture says Pharaoh would not believe on God, it does not mean Pharaoh had the ability to believe on God in the first place. He did not!  Scripture says, “The natural man receiveth not the things of God…neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Cor 2: 14)  Men object saying that God will not hold us responsible to do what we do not have the ability to do.  The law of our land does it every day. Next time the creditor sends a bill, tell him since you do not have the ability to pay therefore you are not responsible to pay.

 

Yet, God never made Pharaoh sin against God.  God merely left Pharaoh to his own, natural, depraved will.

It was Pharaoh who sinned against God because it was Pharaoh’s will to do so. God is not the author of Pharaoh’s sin or anyone’s sin. God did not make Pharaoh sin.  Pharaoh did what was Pharaoh’s own will to do just like every sinner left to their own will.

 

Still, even in rebelling against God, Pharaoh fulfilled God’s eternal purpose. Pharaoh did exactly what God determined before to be done.  It is obvious it was God’s purpose because God told Moses beforehand exactly what Pharaoh would do and God told Moses it was according to God’s purpose—“that I might shew these my signs before him.”

 

The same was true of Adam in the garden—and that was before sin and death had entered in. God did not make Adam sin in the garden; God merely let Adam do Adam’s own will.  It was Adam’s own will to side with his wife rather than God. Adams will was to break God’s law and plunge all his family—you and me and all mankind—into sin and death.

 

Still, Adam’s rebellion was according to God’s eternal purpose. It was what God determined before to be done.  We see that it was God’s purpose by the fact that God told Adam beforehand exactly what Adam would do. God said,

 

Genesis 2:17: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

 

God’s purpose in Adam’s sin was the same as God’s purpose in Pharaoh’s sin—“that I might shew these my signs before him.”

 

All unregenerate sinners boast of their free will. They want to be left to their own will.  But even when man was upright with no sin, left to our own will, man always sins against God. Still, though it does not excuse our sin, all man’s sin fulfills what God determined before to be done; God’s eternal purpose.

 

Romans 9: 19: Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? 20: Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God?

 

Not one of man’s idol gods are able to declare the end from the beginning like the true and living God. God challenges every idol god, saying,

 

Isaiah 41: 22: Let them…shew us what shall happen: let them shew the former things, what they be, that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them; or declare us things for to come. 23: Shew the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods: yea, do good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, and behold it together.

 

Isaiah 44: 7: And who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set it in order for me, since I appointed the ancient people? and [declare] the things that are coming, and shall come, let them shew unto them.

 

God’s eternal purpose in allowing Adam to sin and plunge all men into sin and death was the same as God’s purpose in allowing Pharaoh to sin. God said, “That I might shew these my signs before him. And that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son’s son, what things I have wrought in Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; that ye may know how that I am the LORD.”

 

Proposition: God purposed from eternity and allowed sin and death to enter the world that God might show his mighty works in saving his people from our sins so that those who God saves might declare his gospel to our children.

 

DECLARE THE GOSPEL TO OUR CHILDREN

 

Exodus 10: 1…that I might shew these my signs before him: 2: And that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son’s son,…

 

Everything God works in salvation he works that his people might declare the gospel to our children.

 

In Moses day, after redeeming the children of Israel from Egypt’s bondage, God commanded they offer certain sacrifices and observe certain ceremonies which pictured their redemption by the LORD. Also, God gave them the ordinance of the Passover. That was their way of hearing the gospel preached. Both were to constantly put them in remembrance of redemption accomplished by the LORD. And both served another purpose. God told Moses,

 

Exodus 13: 8: And thou shalt shew thy son in that day, saying, This is done because of that which the LORD did unto me when I came forth out of Egypt…14: And it shall be when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What is this? that thou shalt say unto him, By strength of hand the LORD brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage:…

 

Today we are not to offer those sacrifices and observe the ceremonies because Christ is the fulfillment.   Today, we come to hear the gospel of Christ our Redeemer preached. And Christ our Passover has replaced the ordinance of the passover with the Lord’s Table.  But we are to constantly attend the preaching of the gospel of Christ our Redeemer and to observe the Lord’s Table for the same reason as they: one, to keep us constantly in remembrance of what Christ accomplished for us and two, when we go home from here,

 

Exodus 13: 14: And it shall be when thy son asketh thee…saying, What is this? that thou shalt say unto him…By strength of hand the LORD brought us out…from the house of bondage:…

 

Over and over throughout the scripture God reminded them to hear this gospel preached in their sacrifices and to observe the Passover then to go home and teach the meaning to their children. And God blessed it and saved his elect sons and daughters. Generations later, the Psalmist wrote:

 

Psalm 78: 1: Give ear, O my people, to my law [my gospel]: incline your ears to the words of my mouth. 2: I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old: 3: Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. 4: We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done. 5: For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: 6: That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: 7: That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments:

 

In the day of Moses, they heard the gospel preached in divers manners and then they taught their children and God saved some of their children.  In David’s day, they heard the gospel preached in divers manners and then they taught their children and God saved some of their children.  In these last days, God has spoken to us by his Son through the preaching of the gospel and as we teach our children God has saved some of our children. (Heb 1: 1-2)

 

Brethren, it is the responsibility of faithful fathers and mothers to have our children under the preaching of the gospel and to teach them the gospel in our homes. If you do not have children look around.  You have many children in these young people.  We cannot make them believe and that is not our responsibility.  Our responsibility is to see that this world does not interfere with them hearing the gospel preached and go home and teach them the truth afterward.

 

Growing up there were always bulletins and gospel books all through my parent’s house.  There was a gospel message playing as my mother cleaned the house.  My grandfather was constantly teaching me the gospel. And God blessed it.  These are things we ought to do for our children.

 

When I was in Tennessee there was a young man who was around fourteen.  He began coming to my house to go night fishing.  It did not take long to figure out that he was not interested in fishing.  He was interested in me showing him the gospel from the scriptures.  It was not that alone that God used. He used the preaching of the gospel in conjunction with our trips to the fishing hole.  But God saved that young man and he is a faithful member of the church in Tennessee to this day, having his wife and children under the preaching of the gospel.

 

THE MESSAGE WE ARE TO DECLARE

 

Exodus 10: 2: And that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son’s son, what things I have wrought in Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them

 

What are we to preach and teach our children? The message God will have us to declare to our children are God’s works—“And that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son’s son, what things I have wrought in Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them.”  The message of how sinners are saved is not the message of man’s person and works but of God’s person and works.

 

Psalm 78: 4: We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.

 

Psalm 145:5: I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works.

 

The message we preach and teach our children is the message of the glorious honor and majesty of Christ’s person. He is the fullness of the Godhead bodily. Jesus Christ is over all, God blessed for ever.  He is the Son of God and the Son of Man in one glorious person.

 

John 1: 1: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…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.

 

Isn’t it amazing! God over all, became our Surety—the Surety of chosen sinners like us that the Father gave unto him!  Isn’t it amazing that he who is God came down and was made one in nature with his elect people that he might make us one with Holy God, partakers of his divine nature!  The GodMan Mediator is the Daysmen who is God and Man in one who was able to bring God and his people together in one.

 

We preach and teach our children “his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.”  God the Father chose his people freely and blessed us with all blessing according as he chose us in Christ!  Then the Son of God took flesh and lived righteously under his own law as the humble servant of God, with all his people in him.  When the time came to pay our sin-debt he gave himself to be made sin for us—the just for the unjust—despising the shame.  Yet, for the joy of his people set before him, our substitute drank the bitter cup of God’s fury to the dregs and wrung them out.

 

Now, the glorified GodMan reigns over heaven and earth being Head over all things to the church, filling all in all.  Our glorified Head gave us pastors after his own heart. We have this place to worship due to Christ.

 

Romans 10: 13: For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14: How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15: And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

 

Ephesians 4: 8: Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. 9: (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? 10: He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) 11: And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12: For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 13: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: 14: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 15: But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: 16: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

 

Through his gospel, Christ sent forth the Holy Spirit into our hearts to bear witness of him. Through his gospel, the Holy Spirit formed Christ in us so that we live and believe on him. Christ promises “I give unto them eternal life and  no man is able to pluck them out of my hand; my Father which gave them me is greater than all and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one!”

 

One day soon he shall present each and every one of his blood bought brethren “to himself, a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but…holy and without blemish.” (Eph 5: 27)

 

This is the message God will have us declare to our children.

 

THE REASON WE TEACH GOD’S WORKS

 

EXODUS 10: 2:…that ye may know how that I am the LORD.

 

Our Savior, our Salvation from all our enemies, is the LORD God of heaven and earth.  Our salvation is accomplished by his works alone: God the Father chose us by his grace, Christ the Son redeemed us by his grace, and the Holy Spirit regenerated us by his grace. When this message is made effectual in the heart then you know what Jonah knew, “Salvation is of the LORD.”

 

Psalm 3:8: Salvation belongeth unto the LORD: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.

 

Psalm 37:39: the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: he is their strength in the time of trouble.

 

Psalm 68:20: He that is our God is the God of salvation; and unto GOD the Lord belong the issues from death.

 

Those who preach man’s works for righteousness and/or holiness shall change their message in the day of judgment when God makes them confess the truth.  But in that day and for all eternity the message of those God saves will be the same as it was since the day he taught us this gospel.

 

Revelation 7: 9: After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; 10: And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. 11: And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, 12: Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.

 

Brethren, may God enable us to bring our children to hear the gospel preached and then teach our children.  May he enable us to teach them the works of our LORD alone.  And may he make us and them to know he is the LORD—our Salvation!

 

Amen!