Series:
Exodus
Title:
God Severs Our Works
Text:
Exodus 9: 1-7
Date:
November 26, 2017
Place:
SGBC, New Jersey
Exodus 9: 1: Then the LORD said unto Moses,
Go in unto Pharaoh, and tell him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, Let
my people go, that they may serve me. 2:
For if thou refuse to let them go, and wilt hold them still, 3: Behold, the hand of the LORD is
upon thy cattle which is in the field, upon the horses, upon the asses,
upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep: there shall be a
very grievous murrain. 4: And
the LORD shall sever between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt: and
there shall nothing die of all that is the children’s of Israel. 5: And the LORD appointed a set time,
saying, To morrow the LORD shall do this thing in the land. 6: And the LORD did that thing on the
morrow, and all the cattle of Egypt died: but of the cattle of the children of
Israel died not one. 7: And
Pharaoh sent, and, behold, there was not one of the cattle of the Israelites
dead. And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.
Religious
folks everywhere speak of good works.
But what makes a work good? When
does God accept a work as good?
Proposition:
God only accepts the works that Christ has worked for and in his people.
Title: God
Severs our Works
THE WORKS
OF THE UNREGENERATE
Exodus 9: 3: Behold, the hand of the LORD is upon thy cattle which is
in the field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the oxen,
and upon the sheep: there shall be a very grievous murrain.
The
disease upon the cattle pictures that all the works of the unregenerate sinner
are dead works. These were all animals by which the Egyptians did their works. Left
under the curse all the works unregenerate sinners produce are diseased, dead
works (pictured in the diseased cattle.)
Romans 7: 5: For when we were in the flesh, the motions
of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit
unto death.
Romans 6:21: What fruit had ye then in those things
whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.
Why are
the works of a carnal man only sinful? There are many reasons but let me give
you four.
One,
since we are sinners by nature, everything a sinful man does is sinful.
Proverbs 21: 4…the plowing of the wicked, is sin.
Exodus 20:25: And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone,
thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it,
thou hast polluted it.
Two, it
is because the carnal man’s mind is set on things of the flesh so that he
cannot subject himself to the law of God to keep it nor can he believe on
Christ unto righteousness.
Romans 8: 3:
For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God
sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin
in the flesh: 4: That the
righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh,
but after the Spirit. [being regenerated by the Spirit, we believe on Christ
unto righteousness. But why can
unregenerate men NOT attain to the righteousness of the law?] 5: For they that are after the flesh
do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things
of the Spirit. 6: For to be
carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life
and peace. 7: Because the carnal
mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God,
neither indeed can be. 8: So
then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
Titus 1:15:..unto them that are defiled and unbelieving
is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.
Proverbs 21:27: The sacrifice of the wicked is
abomination: how much more, when he bringeth it with a wicked mind?
Three,
unregenerate man’s works are sinful because his works are not of faith—
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.
Hebrews 11: 6:…without faith it is impossible to please God.
Four, unregenerate
man’s works are sinful because the unbeliever’s works are produced by himself
to his own glory and praise. Believers are…
Philippians 1:11:…filled with the fruits of
righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.
So outside
of Christ, the sinner and all his works are diseased cattle—sinful works unto
death. Sinner, never imagine that you can please God by anything you do. Only
through faith in Christ.
GOD SEVERS OUR WORKS
Exodus 9: 4: And the LORD shall sever between the cattle of Israel and the
cattle of Egypt: and there shall nothing die of all that is the
children’s of Israel.
In Christ
and by Christ, God severs the works of his people from the works of the
unregenerate.
Remember,
chapter 8, God severed the land of Goshen in which his people
dwelled and put a division between his people and the Egyptians—a type of God
separating Christ and separating his people in Christ in whom his people dwell.
Here, the
picture is that in Christ and by Christ, all the believer’s works are severed
from the works of the unbeliever—And the
LORD shall sever between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt: and
there shall nothing die of all that is
the children’s of Israel.
The LORD
discriminates, separating his people and our works by his grace—the LORD shall. We are reminded by the
Spirit of God once again that it is God himself who separates the precious from
the vile, by his sovereign, free, discriminating grace (Malachi 3:11, 18).
Concerning
our obedience to the law, when Christ fulfilled the righteousness of the law,
all his people were in Christ, so all his people fulfilled the righteousness of
the law in him, justified from all sin.
Daniel 9:24: Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people
and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of
sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting
righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
BORN AGAIN AT A SET TIME
Exodus 9: 5: And the LORD appointed a set
time, saying, To morrow the LORD shall do this thing in the land. 6: And the
LORD did that thing on the morrow,..
Each one
for whom Christ died shall be born of the Spirit at God’s set time. When the
Holy Spirit regenerates a sinner, Christ creates a new man severed from the old
man within us and severed from men of this world—the new man is pure, holy.
Ephesians 4:24…which after God is created in
righteousness and true holiness.
The new
man is born of incorruptible seed—meaning
the new man cannot be corrupted by sin. As Christ said,
Matthew 7: 17:
every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth
evil fruit. 18: A good tree
cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good
fruit.
1 John 3:9: Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin;
for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
It is
impossible to sin when our new man is created in the eternal righteousness of
Christ, the perfect fulfillment of the law, justified from all sin—past,
present and future forever! Through
faith in Christ we believe unto righteousness—we establish the whole law of
God.
Romans 10: 4: For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness
to every one that believeth…10: For with the heart man believeth unto
righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
The first
good work that God has ordained that all his people shall walk in is faith in
Christ. Then just like that first
work, all our works are produced by Christ, motivated by his love and accepted
by God because we are cleansed in Christ’s blood.
1 John 1:7: if we walk in the light, as he is in the
light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his
Son cleanseth us from all sin.
Titus 1:15: [Therefore] Unto the pure all things are
pure:…
God looks
on the heart. The motive of the unregenerate man’s sinful heart is to earn
righteousness, to earn salvation, to indebt God. But the blood of Christ gives
us a new motive in our heart which God delights in.
2 Corinthians 5: 14:
For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died
for all, then were all dead: 15:
And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth
live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.
HAVE YOUR WORKS BEEN SEVERED?
Exodus 9: 7: And Pharaoh sent, and, behold,
there was not one of the cattle of the Israelites dead. And the heart of
Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.
Pharaoh
heard this and hardened his heart. The same sun that melts the snow, hardens
the clay. The same gospel that blesses the believer, hardens the heart of the
unbeliever.
2 Corinthians 2: 15:
For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in
them that perish: 16: To the one
we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of
life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?
But
hearing this same good news, moves the believer to good works. This is why we
must hear of Christ’s faithfulness. In the valley of dry bones, God told
Ezekiel to declare God’s works—thus saith
God unto these bones, Behold I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye
shall live…so Ezekiel preached God’s works and God made them live.
Those who
begin by hearing the preaching of faith—of Christ and him crucified—are kept by
continuing to hear of Christ’s faith.
Galatians 3: 2: This only would I learn of you, Received
ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?...5: He
therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you,
doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 6: Even as
Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness….8: And the
scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached
before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
9: So then they which be of faith [hearing of Christ’s faith] are blessed with
faithful Abraham.
May God
make you to be born of him, bring you to faith in Christ and make all your
works good works.
Amen!