To this evening, looking forward to fellowshipping with you all.
And so, uh, pastor Jones, again, thank you for, for the invitation.
And, uh, so let's get started.
Hebrews chapter one.
The title of my sermon this evening is supernatural, super natural.
Look at Hebrews chapter one and verse number one, it says God who had sundry
times and in diverse manners, spake in time pass unto the fathers by the
prophets hath in these last days spoken unto us by his son, whom he had the
appointed heir of all things by whom also he made the world.
And so, you know, when we think of the Bible, when we think of God's word,
this book is a very supernatural book, right?
You know, it's a very special book.
It's not like any other book that's in this world.
You know, it's not just a book.
It's the book.
It's the word of God.
It's the Bible.
And when we think about it, you know, the content is great.
The stories are great.
The testimonies are great, but it's actually a supernatural book.
Now, why don't we say that it's a supernatural book?
Well, because of the fact that it has power, right?
You know, the Bible says that the word of God is quick and powerful, sharper
than any two edged sword piercing, even to the dividing of center of soul
and spirit joints in the marrow.
It's a discern of the thoughts of the intense of the heart.
No book can do that other than the word of God to the point where it can bring
you to tears, it can convict you of sin.
It can tell you the future, right?
It can prophesy of that, of those things, which are to come.
It's a powerful book.
It's a supernatural book.
You know, the Bible says that all scripture is given by inspiration of God.
It's profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction
and righteousness, that the man of God may be thoroughly furnished
unto all good works.
And so this is the only book that it can equip you for life, right?
It can equip you for life.
It can teach you everything there is to know about God.
It can help you to be successful in the Christian life.
It is a very powerful, supernatural book.
And in fact, the Bible even says itself that it's filled with great
and precious promises whereby we may be partakers of his divine nature.
You know, if we want to be like unto the Lord, if we want to be Christ,
like this book is filled with great and precious promises that we can obey
and become godly, you understand?
That's why the book is supernatural.
It's powerful.
It's not like any other book, uh, on this earth.
And the reality is, is this, is that we're privileged to have the Bible,
you know, we are privileged not just to have the Bible, uh, today for us
today in English, but we're just privileged to even have a canonized Bible.
If you think about it, you know, in times past, there's people throughout
biblical history that did not have a canonized book, right?
They didn't have a canonized Bible.
They had portions of scripture, you know, today we have 66 books placed
into one book and we can scour thousands of years worth of biblical history
and learn that every single day, you know, we can start in Genesis and end
in revelation, we can start from the beginning of time and go all the way
to the end of time and learn things from God, from his word, we can
literally in a sense, sit at the feet of Jesus and here's word, we can do
that, which is most needful for our lives.
And so it's a privilege to have the word of God.
But as I mentioned, that's not always been the case for everyone, right?
You know, there was a time when, if you think about it, even in the old
Testament, where people did not have the canonized Bible, because prophecy
was still being fulfilled, the word of God was still being written.
God was still giving the word of God to prophets, to pen down
through scribes, et cetera.
And there was a time when God had to audibly give the word of God to people.
Right.
He would give the word of God to prophets.
The prophet would repeat it.
The scribe would write it and people would read it over and over again in
the temple, they would memorize it, et cetera.
But as I mentioned today, we have the voice of the shepherd here in the Bible.
And as I mentioned, you know, it's a supernatural book, but you know what,
even in the old Testament, he used supernatural means to communicate the
Bible, okay, he used very miraculous and supernatural now when I say
supernatural, what do I mean by that?
Well, supernatural is anything that exceeds the boundaries of natural law.
Okay.
You think of something that's extraordinary means it's
ordinary, but it's extra ordinary.
You know, it's, it's, it's natural, but it's supernatural.
It's God taking something that is very natural and exceeding its limits.
Okay.
Taking that natural and bypassing what it's capable of doing.
This is how we know that it's of God.
This is how we know that it comes from the Lord.
It's from the mouth of God, et cetera.
And God would, as I mentioned, would often speak to prophets
in the old Testament, audibly.
He would come to different prophets and Kings and actually speak to them from
heaven, but other times he just did it with style, right?
Wouldn't he just do it with style?
And what I mean by that, he would supernaturally miraculously speak to
people using natural means and making them supernatural.
Okay.
And that's what I believe the Bible is saying here.
When it says in Hebrew chapter one, God, who at sundry times and in diverse
manners, spake and time pass unto the fathers by the prophets, you see, God
likes variety, okay, he likes diversity.
He likes not only to speak from heaven in an audible voice, but sometimes he likes
to use the natural world to speak unto people.
And because of the fact that it can symbolize something, it can figure
something, a spiritual truth.
Now, this isn't the sermon tonight, but I want you to notice that it says God, who
at sundry times and in diverse manners, spake and time pass, it doesn't say
saved in time pass, okay, he said, why is that important?
Well, because of the fact that today you have a group of people called
dispensationalists, more specifically hyper dispensationalists that will use
a verse like this in Hebrew, chapter one to say, well, see, there you go.
You know, uh, God, who at sundry times and diverse manners, he saved people
differently at different times, false.
It says he spake in time pass, not saved in time pass.
Salvation has always been the same.
Sam get right.
It's always been the same.
It's never changed.
Whether in the old Testament with David, he spake of the blessing is upon the man
who unto whom God and puteth righteousness, you know, without works.
You know, Abraham believed God and it was counted into him for righteousness.
Well, how about this?
The fact that the old Testament did not end until the crucifixion of Christ.
Prior to that, Jesus is speaking John three 16 for God so loved the world,
you know, that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him shall
not perish, but have everlasting life.
What is that telling us?
That it's by faith and newsflash that's in the old Testament.
Okay.
And so, you know, we never want to look at a verse like this and say, oh man,
this looks a little cryptic when he, he, he had a different way of saving.
No, he had a different way of speaking.
It was a diverse manner of speaking.
There's not different ways of salvation.
That's a false doctrine.
Now, tonight, I want to look at this sundry manners, supernatural
manners of revealing God's word.
Now go with me.
If you went to Exodus chapter three, Exodus chapter number three, if you would
Exodus chapter number three, we're going to look at different ways that God spake
to people, spoke to people in the old Testament, the natural world that he
used in a supernatural way to convey his word, to communicate his word unto the
prophets.
Now, let me make a pretty obvious disclaimer before we get into Exodus
chapter three, we're going to look at a couple of examples and let me just say
this is that, uh, these occurrences will no longer happen.
Okay.
You know, cause you have people today and they're like, oh man, I saw 50 foot
Jesus.
And then, you know, it's like, get off the shrooms, bud.
Okay.
You need to get off the drugs, get off the psychedelics, you know, and they're
like, no, man, I saw, I saw a burning bush too, and it wasn't consumed.
And then I saw these things too.
And I saw an angel from heaven.
I saw Moroni, you know?
Well, that doesn't exist anymore.
You know, God doesn't use diverse manners to speak anymore because of the fact that
in these last days he has spoken to us through his son and his son, his name is
the word of God.
And guess what?
We have the word of God right here.
And look to further prove this Peter, who was there when God spoke from heaven, who
said, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.
He was a witness of that.
And he specifically said in first Peter and second Peter chapter one, excuse me.
He specifically said that he heard that voice from heaven when he was in the holy
Mount.
But then he said this, we also have a more short word of prophecy where until you do
well that you take heed as into a light that shineth in a dark place until the day
dawn and the day star arise in your hearts.
And then he says this, knowing this first and no prophecy of the scripture is given
of any private interpretation for the privacy came down in old time by the will
of man, but holy men of God spake as they were removed by the Holy ghost.
So the very man who was there when he heard the voice of God audibly, even he
says this, but just know this.
We have a more short word of prophecy.
What does he talk about the word of God?
He's saying, look, the written word that I have is a more sure word of prophecy.
Why is he saying that?
Well, because of the fact that obviously when he was there listening to the voice
of God saying, this is my son and you know, and whom I am well pleased, that was
kind of like a private session that he saw there.
Cause not everyone heard that, but guess what?
Everyone's heard this.
Everyone has the opportunity to hear God's word when they crack it open and read
Genesis, read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, read the epistles of Paul, et
cetera.
And so today, you know, when people want to say, well, I, you know, I had a dream.
Okay.
And in this dream, God spoke to me and he gave me extra biblical revelation when
they haven't even read through the Bible once.
It's like, how do you expect me to believe that God's going to violate his own
principle that to whomsoever much is given of him shall be much required or that he
that is faithful and litter shall be faithful and much you haven't even read
the Bible through yet.
God's going to give you some new biblical revelation.
False.
Okay.
False prophet, not from God.
And so this is an obvious disclaimer.
You know, we don't need these miraculous occurrences anymore because the greatest
miracle is right before our face.
It's the Bible.
Now, with that being said, let's look at those natural, supernatural ways that God
spake in time past, and let's see how, uh, what, what they symbolize.
Now, the first one I want to go over is the burning bush.
This is a pretty awesome story here.
Okay.
Now, a bush, pretty natural.
Fire, pretty natural fire burning a bush, pretty natural fire burning a bush, but
the bush not burning or being consumed.
Supernatural.
Okay.
Look at Exodus chapter three and verse number one.
It says, now Moses kept the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest
of Midian, and he led the flock to the backside of the desert and came to the
mountain of God, even to Horeb and the angel of the Lord appeared into him in a
flame of fire out of the midst of a bush.
And he looked and behold, the bush burned with fire and the bush was not consumed.
So he's just going about his day, taking care of his regular responsibilities, and
he's just going about his business and God catches his attention using the
supernatural occurrence, right?
He witnesses the supernatural occurrence where there's a bush in the desert.
It's on fire.
It has a flame of fire, but it's not consuming the bush itself.
The shrub is still intact.
Okay.
Verse three.
And Moses said, I will now turn aside and see this great site.
Why the bush is not burnt.
You know, he's just like, let me investigate this a little, a little
further.
Am I seeing things here?
That thing's been on fire for quite some time and it's not being consumed.
It's still intact.
What's going on here?
Okay.
Verse four.
And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see God called unto him out
of the midst of the bush and said, Moses, Moses, and he said, here am I.
And he said, draw not nigh hither, put off thy shoes from off thy feet from the
place where on the stand is his holy ground.
Moreover, he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of
Isaac, the God of Jacob and Moses hid his face for he was afraid to look upon God.
So what do we see here?
We see that God comes to Moses.
He's about to prepare him to be the deliverer of Israel.
Israel has been in bondage to Egypt and they've been crying out unto the Lord
because of their affliction, because of their bondage and God comes to Moses in a
supernatural way.
And by the way, he could have just came in a cloud.
He could have just spoken audibly to him, but he chose to use a natural, you know,
object, a natural thing and make it supernatural.
Why?
Because it drives the point that much, the more.
Okay.
Now, what are some things that we can learn from this particular story?
Well, turn with him.
If we went to Hebrews chapter number 10, Hebrews chapter number 10, if you would,
this was a supernatural way that he spoke to Moses.
What is the significance of it?
Well, if you know, when you study this and you look at the different mentions of fire
in the Bible, it's often in reference to God's holiness, but it's also in reference
to his judgment.
Okay.
Which obviously they can go hand in hand.
You understand, you know, and you say, well, how do you know that fire represents
judgment?
Well, you know, hell, right?
How about the lake of fire?
Okay.
And in fact, the lake of fire and hell is a fire that burns an individual, but does
not consume them.
It does not cause them to just burn up as some people would teach.
Okay.
Where they say, how can Jesus go to hell?
You know, if you're going to go to hell, you know, how's he going to die?
And all these things.
It's just like, yeah, I know that you're finite.
My cannon understand that, but God can do it because he did it with the bush.
He took a bush, he lit it on fire and it did, it did not disintegrate.
It did not, you know, do away.
It wasn't consumed.
It was still intact because God is able to do that.
And he was picturing his judgment because that's exactly what hell is.
When people die and they're not saved, they go to hell.
The Bible tells us that the smoke of their torment ascended up forever and ever.
Well, how can that be?
Well, because it's a supernatural place.
Hell is a supernatural place created by God, where he has placed the element of
fire, uh, burning something, but yet not consuming it.
Now here's the thing is that fire represents judgment, right?
We obviously see that with hell.
Those who suffer the vengeance of eternal fire, for example, in the book of Jude,
but it's not just judgment for unsaved people.
Fire can be just judgment for saved people as well.
You know, because God also judges his people.
The difference being this.
He will never judge us in a place called hell.
You know, the Bible says that the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.
And he delighted in his way.
Though he fall, he shall not utterly be cast down for the Lord
upholdeth him with his hand.
The Bible says, you know, you can never fall so deep into sin that
God just takes away your salvation.
The Bible tells us in Hebrew chapter number 10, that we are not of them to
believe, uh, um, they fall away into perdition, but believe to the saving of
the soul, you know, if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
The Bible says, but here's the thing.
When you draw back, you backslide, you get involved in sin.
You do things that are not pleasing to the Lord.
You'll never go into perdition.
Why?
Because you're eternally secure in the hand of the father.
We don't believe that we'll draw back into perdition, but we believe
to the saving of the soul.
But the reality is this, is that God can't judge your life.
God can rain fire upon your life and destroy you.
If he wanted to destroy your life, destroy your health, destroy your
finances, destroy your family.
If you, you know, buck the hand of God and you're backslidden and you're
just involved in sin and you're just doing things that are displeasing to
God, he can send that fire that burns, but doesn't consume you completely.
Think about that.
Now, why does he, doesn't he allow us to be consumed?
Well, think about this.
If you remember the children of Israel, God was very displeased
with the children of Israel, various times throughout Israel's history.
And specifically in the time of Jeremiah, he allowed them to be
taken captive of the Babylonians.
Okay.
You know, the Babylonians came and just destroyed their land and took people
captive and killed a bunch of people.
I mean, he basically wreaked havoc, right upon Israel during that time.
And the book of Lamentations is a book of Jeremiah lamenting over
God's judgment upon his people.
And what is it?
What's, what's one of the things that he says there?
Well, obviously we see that Israel was completely destroyed.
But he says this, it is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.
For his mercies, they fail not.
Okay.
For his compassion's fail not.
So he says it is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.
So that natural bush can almost represent a Christian sometimes.
You know, Christian that is involved in sin, just as Israel was involved in sin
and God can purge that Christian.
God can purge that individual and judge them by allowing his wrath and his
fire to come upon them.
But here's the thing.
It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.
You understand that sometimes we don't get what we deserve.
Even when we sin against God, we live a life that's displeasing to him.
He allows a little bit of judgment to come upon our lives.
Honestly, we don't get everything that we truly deserve.
Okay.
Even as a child of God, he, why?
Because he shows his mercy, his compassion as they fail not.
You know, he knows the perfect degree to turn that fire.
He knows how much he needs to turn it up in order to get your attention, to get you
to repent, to get you to understand and to see your wicked ways and have you turned
from them to live a life that's pleasing unto the Lord.
And it's, it's a, it's a flame.
It's a fire.
It's judgment.
It's wrath that comes upon you, but it doesn't consume you.
You know, the Bible tells us there is no temptation taking, but this is just as
common to man, but God is faithful who will with that temptation make a way to
escape.
And he says this, that ye may be able to what bear it.
And so we see that sometimes God will allow fire to come upon our lives.
If we are living a life that's not pleasing unto him, but he has the fire at
such a degree that even though we're burning, we're not consumed.
Okay.
Let's look at an example of that.
Look at Hebrew chapter number 10, Hebrew chapter number 10.
The Bible says in verse 24, let us consider one another to
provoke and to love and to good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves
together as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another.
And so much the more as you see the day approaching, this is why I believe you
should go to church every single service, you know, because we should be in church
so much the more, amen, as we see the day approaching verse 26, for if we sin
willfully, after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remain
with no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for
of judgment and fiery indignation.
You know, people that are backslidden, they're not having a good time sewing
their wild oats out there, people who are away from God, they're at a church.
They're not winning souls.
They're not living for the Lord.
They may look on the outside as though they're enjoying their sin, but you
know what the reality is, they're looking for judgment and fiery indignation.
They're just like, man, God's, he's going to like, whoop my butt sometime soon.
I know it's coming.
That's what they're waiting for because they know it's true.
And it says the fire, a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery
indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
So what is it saying?
That same judgment that God pours upon unsafe people that will
actually devour them in hell.
You know, as the same fire indignation, he can pour upon
an individual in this lifetime.
I mean, don't we say sometimes when we're out soul winning, you know,
uh, we're not saying that if you, uh, sin that God won't do anything to you,
but if you're saved, he just won't send you to hell, but he will
chastise you here on this earth.
That's what that's referring to.
Look what it says in verse 28.
He that despised Moses law died without mercy under two or three witnesses of
how much sore punishment suppose he shall he be thought worthy.
Look what it says here.
Who has trodden under the foot, the son of God and at counted the blood of the
covenant wherewith he was sanctified and unholy thing and have done despite
unto the spirit of grace, notice that it says there that this individual
who's just kind of like, nah, whatever.
I'm just going to sin.
I'm going to willfully sin.
I'm just going to disobey God.
What are they doing?
He is basically trotting underfoot the son of God because he's
counting it an unholy thing.
Now think about this.
What about Moses?
What did God say to Moses out of the burning fire bush?
Put off thy shoes from off thy feet from the place where on
the stand is this holy ground.
So in order for Moses to approach unto the light, which no man can approach
there unto, he had to put off his shoes from off his feet, but the, because the
place where he stood was holy ground.
Now, what if Moses said, nah, I'm gonna keep these sandals.
Just got them brand new leather, cow skin.
We would say that he trod underfoot.
The commandments of God had counted the blood of the covenant wherewith he
was sanctified and unholy thing.
If God says the place where you're standing is holy ground, and he persists
to stand on that ground with his sandals on, with his feet shod, he's
counting it an unholy thing.
For we know verse 30, him that hath said vengeance belongeth unto me.
We like talking about the vengeance that God pours on the unsaved, you know,
like, um, and by the way, I love talking about that.
Okay.
So, you know, yeah, the treason files out there is, uh, he's the byword in
the proverb when it comes to these things.
Okay.
And you know what?
God strikes vengeance upon people like that, obviously, as we saw within
recent months, but here he says, for we know him that hath said vengeance
belongeth unto me, I will recompensate the Lord.
It's like, Hey man.
Oh, and again, the Lord shall judge his people.
It was like, Oh, you're talking about me.
He's like, yes, because God not only strikes vengeance upon the unsaved for
messing with the saved, but you know what?
He also strikes vengeance upon his people, the save for trotting under
foot, the son of God, and for counting that an unholy thing.
So what does the burning fiery bush represent?
Well, we see that God speaks to Moses out of that burning fiery bush to show him
that he's going to deliver his people.
He's showing mercy to his people, but the representation there is that the fire is
judgment and he's not going to allow them to just be completely consumed because of
their wicked ways, you know, he's going to deliver them.
He's going to save them.
He's going to be there for them.
So this is a supernatural occurrence where the bush is burning, but it's not
being consumed in like manner.
God will often judge his people.
And obviously, look, sometimes there is a sin unto death, right?
Some people can sin to the point, even Christians, where it's a sin unto death.
I do not say you shall pray for it.
It's like, don't even share that prayer because that person's done.
You know, they're like, the salt hath lost its savor.
Wherewith shall it be salted?
It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out and to be trodden under the
foot of men, the Bible tells us, you know, they're like the branch that has been,
they basically are not abiding in the vine.
They're cast forth, men gather them and cast them into the what?
Fire and they are burned.
It doesn't mean they go to hell.
It doesn't mean they lose their salvation.
It means God's going to judge that individual.
Okay.
And so the burning bush is a beautiful picture.
Yes, of judgment, but also of his mercies, because of the fact that it is of the
Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, we don't get what we deserve often.
Look at Exodus chapter 19.
If you will go to Exodus chapter 19, we're talking about supernatural
occurrences here, God speaking in a supernatural way.
And we obviously understand that when God spoke at any time in the Bible,
audibly, it's a supernatural thing, but he would often kind of accentuate that by
using natural means to picture something, to symbolize something.
He used the burning bush, but how about Mount Sinai?
Okay.
Mountains are natural fire, natural lightning, natural smoke, natural mixed
together with God's word, supernatural and super scary.
It's a terrifying sight.
Like, I don't know.
I've seen some pretty crazy stuff in Hollywood.
Movies producing pretty crazy stuff.
Nothing like this.
Folks.
This was such a terrible sight that even the mountain was shaking.
When you're so scary that you make inanimate objects fearful.
You're in a, you're, you're amazing.
How about when Jesus said, look, I'm not going to tell them.
I'm paraphrasing him.
I'm not going to tell them to be quiet because if I do the
stones would immediately cry out.
It's an inanimate object.
He's like, these have no life, but that, but I'm God.
So they can't help a cry out and praise God if no one else does.
Well, you know what the mountain, you think of a mountain, it's massive.
It's huge.
It's it's, it's, it seems very powerful.
I mean, you just look at it.
It's just like, Whoa, you can be in awe of a mountain, but even the
mountain trembled at the voice of God.
Okay.
Look at Exodus chapter 19, verse nine.
Obviously we understand that Mount Sinai was the area was the mountain
where God gave the 10 commandments to Moses.
Okay.
And he had to give it to him twice because of the fact that the first
time he broke those tablets, when he was mad at the children of Israel,
look at verse number nine says the Lord said into Moses, low, I come
unto thee in a thick cloud that the people may hear when I speak with
thee and believe thee forever is like, trust me, if people don't believe in
me, they will, after they hear me speak.
Okay.
And Moses told the words of the people until the Lord and the Lord
said unto Moses, go into the people and sanctify them today and tomorrow
and let them wash their clothes and be ready against the third day.
For the third day, the Lord will come down in the sight of all the people
into Mount upon Mount Sinai, and thou shall set bounds unto the people
round about saying, take heed to yourselves that you go not up into
the Mount or touch the border of it.
Whosoever touch at the Mount shall be surely put to death.
Okay.
So this is scary enough as it is because like, first of all, you're
hearing God's voice with lightnings and thunders and smoke, and then
by the way, if you even come near and touch the border, you're dead.
There shall not a hand touch it, but he shall surely be stoned or shot
through whether it be a beast or man.
So it was like, keep your cattle away from this area.
Okay.
If you value your livestock, make sure they don't even approach into the
mountain because I, you know, Peter would have like a fit during this time.
Like what, what do they do?
They're just going through the mountain.
God says, I don't want anything touching the mountain.
It says whether a beast or man, it shall not live.
When the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mountain.
Moses went down from the mountains of the people and sanctified the
people and they washed their clothes.
So notice that they're sanctifying themselves, but they're still not
even clean enough to even approach to the mountain.
And he said unto the people, be ready against the third day.
Come not at your wives.
We came to pass on the third day in the morning, there were thunders and
lightnings and a thick cloud upon the amount and the voice of the trumpet
exceeding loud so that all the people that was in the camp trembled and
Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God.
And they stood at the nether part of the Mount and Mount Sinai was all
together on a smoke because the Lord descended upon it in a fire.
And the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace and the
whole Mount quaked greatly.
And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long and waxed louder and
louder, Moses spake and God answered him by a voice.
This is like traumatizing.
If you think about it, aside from the fact that it's a terrible sight,
it's terrible sound because there's a trumpet blowing and it says that
it's waxing louder and louder.
It's like, and then Moses speaks.
The Lord came down upon Mount Sinai, verse 20 on the top of the Mount.
And the Lord called Moses up to the mountain, the top of the mountain.
And Moses went up and the Lord said unto Moses, go down, charge the people
as they break through into the Lord to gaze and many of them perish.
Go to chapter 20, look at verse 18 of chapter 20.
So this is a terrible sight, but it's, it's not just the mountain.
It's a supernatural mountain.
It's not just lightning and smoke and fire.
It's all supernatural.
God could have just said, all right, Moses, just write this down, but he
chose to use Mount Sinai and all the occurrences and the supernatural
things taking place there to symbolize something, what is he symbolizing?
Well, I believe, and I believe you can prove this according to the New
Testament, that Mount Sinai represents the Old Testament laws.
You know, it represents the Old Testament.
And in fact, the New Testament can be represented as Mount Zion.
Okay.
Where we can approach unto, you see, the Old Testament represents Mount
Sinai because of the fact that no one can keep the law and all have sinned
and come short of the glory of God.
There's none that do with good.
No, not one.
There's not a just man upon earth to do with good and sin is not.
Doesn't matter how much you wash yourself and sanctify yourself.
You approach into that mountain.
You will die.
No one can say, well, I haven't come at my wife.
I'm sanctified.
I'm clean.
I have no sin because the moment they breach that boundary, the moment they
touch that Mount, they're dead.
They're shot through.
They're dead.
And like manner, no individual can keep the commandments of God perfectly.
Why?
Because the commandment, what does it do?
It slays you according to Romans chapter number seven.
Okay.
No individual could keep the commandments to be saved.
The Bible says, therefore, we conclude that a man is justified by
faith without the deeds of the law.
The law is there to show you that you're going to die.
The law is there to show you that even though you've sanctified yourself, you
haven't come at your wife, you have pure motives and you can clean yourself as
much as you want, doesn't matter what you do, you approach them to that Mount.
You touch that boundary.
You're dead because the law was never meant to save anyone.
Pentecostals.
The law was never meant to save anyone.
Mormons.
The law was never meant to save anyone.
Any church out there that teaches you have to keep God's laws in order to be
saved.
Seven day Adventists, a bunch of hypocrites.
You guys, do you guys believe in the Sabbath?
You know, I want to go into their little congregation on the Sabbath one day and
say, where are the sacrifices at?
Where's the, I'm here for the barbecue.
You guys don't, you guys don't do the sacrifice.
Because if you're going to keep the Sabbath, you got to do the sacrifices.
If you're going to do, keep the Sabbath, you got to do all the washings, the
meats, drinks, and diverse washings and carnal ordinances.
It's nonsense folks.
Look at verse 17 or excuse me, verse 18 of Exodus 20.
It says, and all the people saw the thunderings and the lightnings and the
noise of the trumpet and the mountain smoking.
And when the people saw it, they were removed and stood afar off.
And they sent it to Moses, speak thou with us.
And we will hear, but let not God speak with us.
Lest we die.
He's like, um, how about God talks to you and then you just tell us what God wants.
Because I feel like if he talks to me, I'm going to die.
Okay.
Now this is a lot different for what, you know, these non-denom churches teach,
right?
Like, Oh, we just want God speaking to us.
You won't even survive.
You die.
I just want God to just speak to my heart.
And I just want him to just talk to me.
You would die.
You would tremble and die.
And the reason they say this because they think God is just this, this, you know,
he, you know, he, they see some sort of like faggoty looking guy with long hair
and a dress, and he's just like, so nice.
And folks, he's a terrible guy, right?
His voice makes mountains quake.
You know, when he comes down, he can't just come down.
Normally there's smoke and fire and lightnings that come about, smoke comes.
He comes in.
I mean, forget the red carpet.
He brings red fire.
He can't be in anyone's presence without people falling at his feet is dead.
He has to like bring them back to life when they fall at his feet is dead
because he's so terrible.
Imagine his voice.
Okay.
I mean, you got to bypass the trumpet sound first.
Okay.
Now go to Hebrews chapter number 12, if you would Hebrews chapter number 12.
So I believe he uses this natural thing of a mountain, the lightnings of smoke
to represent the fact that people who try to keep God's commandments, because
that is where God's commandments were given the 10 commandments specifically.
Those were given there to show people.
The Bible tells us that it's a school master to bring us unto Christ.
You know, we come to the laws of God, the laws of God slay us, and they help us to
realize we need a savior.
We need to be saved.
I cannot keep God's commandments.
My righteousness are as filthy rags in the eyes of God.
It doesn't matter how much I wash myself.
I can never say I've made my heart pure clean.
I need the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
I need the imputation of Jesus Christ's righteousness.
That's what the Bible tells us that he had made them to be sin who knew no sin
that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Why?
Because we can never climb that mountain.
We can never climb the Mount Mount Sinai.
We can never make it to the top.
We can't even make it to the past.
The boundary.
You know what?
That's exactly how it is with God's commandments, you know?
And it's so ridiculous that you have people out there that think, oh, no, you
have to keep the 10 commandments in order to be saved.
First of all, do you know there's more than 10 commandments in the Bible?
And you know what?
The first commandment is to love the Lord, that God with all that heart, soul,
mind and strength.
So are you trying to tell me that you love God 24 seven perfectly all the time?
Liar.
Two sins right there.
Two commandments you just broke.
Presumptuous people who think that they can keep God's laws and God's commandments.
And I guarantee you there's someone in Israel who said, you know, I think I'm
cleaning.
I think I can go and go, you know, past that border there.
And what had happened?
He got shot through, got shot through, got stone, or even if the stones didn't him
and the air is going to hit him as soon as he touched that mountain, God hit him.
No one can reach the top of Mount Sinai, but Moses and who is Moses a picture of
Jesus Christ?
Because he's the only one who was able to keep God's commandments perfectly.
Okay.
And bring the command.
He had to come down to the people just as Jesus Christ had to come to us.
We couldn't go to him.
You understand?
Look at Hebrews chapter 12 and verse number 18 says for a year, not coming to the
Mount that might be touched and that burned with fire nor into blackness and
darkness and tempest and the sound of a trumpet, the voice of words, which voice
they that heard and treated the word should not be spoken to them anymore.
For they could not endure that which is commanded.
I mean, can anyone endure what's what's commanded?
Can we really say, man?
I mean, I can, I can attempt to keep all of God's commandments.
No, we can't endure it.
Too many commandments, too many laws were imperfect.
He says they could not endure that which is commanded.
And if so much as a beast touched the mountain, it shall be stone or thrust
through with a dart.
And so terrible was the sight that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake.
So it was so terrible that most, I mean, you think it was scary for the people who
were in another part of the mountain.
What about Moses who actually went up the mountain?
He's like, I exceedingly fear and quake verse 22.
But ye are common to the Mount Zion and unto the city of the living God, the
heavenly Jerusalem and to an innumerable company of angels.
So who's the one who brought us to that mountain?
Jesus.
That's why even though people couldn't surpass the boundaries of Mount Sinai,
Jesus, because of his blood, because we're saved, we can come boldly onto the
throne of grace to obtain mercy, to help in the time of need, the Bible says.
You know, now we can just, when we die, we go to heaven, we go to Mount Zion, not
because of anything that we have done, not by works of righteousness, which we
have done, but according to his mercy, saved us by the washing, renewing and
regeneration of the Holy ghost.
And so we see that there.
So I believe Mount Sinai represents that Old Testament because it was, as the
Bible says in second Corinthians chapter three, it's administration of death.
It's never meant to save anyone.
It's meant to slay you and help you recognize you need a savior, thereby
placing your faith in Jesus and being quickened together with him.
The Bible tells us, okay, now go to Exodus chapter 13, if you would
Exodus chapter 13, we're talking about supernatural things that are supernatural,
the burning bush, supernatural Mount Sinai, supernatural, natural things that
God took to another level to speak to people and to express a spiritual truth.
What's another supernatural occurrence in the Bible.
Well, how about the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire?
Okay.
Clouds, natural fire, natural pillar of cloud, you know, by day pillar
of fire by night, supernatural.
Look at Exodus 13 verse 21 says, the Lord went before them by day in a
pillar of a cloud to lead them the way.
And by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light, to go by day and night, he
took not away the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night from
before the people you're in Exodus chapter 13, go to chapter 14 and verse 18.
So what do we see here?
God is taking care of his people.
And look, this is one of the reasons we should never worry about whether
God's going to take care of us or not.
Because if he has to bring a pillar of fire and a pillar of cloud, he'll do it.
And if he can do something as supernatural as a pillar of cloud and a
pillar of fire, he can work miracles in our lives and provide for us and protect
us and do whatever is necessary to help us to fulfill his will.
Okay.
You know, we're, we live in the state of California, where there's a bunch of
Egyptians and, you know, sodomites and whatnot, and you would think, man, it's
impossible to serve the Lord there, but you know, it's not impossible.
You know, God still provides for us.
He still protects us, even through the church bombing and everything that took
place, God looked out for us, God's going to judge those people and he provided
for us, you know, he prepared a table before our enemies in the presence of
our enemies, because God can do that.
Okay.
Look at Exodus 14, verse 18 of the Egyptian shall know that I am the Lord.
When I have gotten me honor upon Pharaoh and upon his chariots and upon his
horsemen, it's a good principle there.
Either you honor him or he'll take the honor by force.
And the angel of God, when, which went before the camp of Israel removed and
went behind them and the pillar of cloud went from before their face and stood
behind them.
And it came to a K between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel.
And it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these.
So that the one came not near the other, all the night and Moses stretched out his
hand over the sea and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong East wind all
that night and made the sea dry land.
And the waters were divided.
Now skip down to verse number 24, it came to pass that in the morning, watch the
Lord looked into the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the
cloud and troubled the host of the Egyptians.
Now, this is a pretty, this is pretty amazing here, but let's see what, what
is it that it signifies?
What is it that it symbolizes here?
Well, think about this.
You know, the children of Israel in the old Testament were known as what the, what
in the wilderness church, they're known as the church in the wilderness, the church,
which was held up and led by the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire.
Well, the new Testament says that the house of God is the church of the living
God, which is the, what the pillar and ground of truth.
So just as God led them in the old Testament by a pillar of cloud and a
pillar of fire, and that was the church in the wilderness, one like manner, we are
the pillar and ground of truth, not necessarily us, but God's pillar of cloud
and pillar of fire.
You know, we are that, uh, epicenter of truth.
This is an epicenter of truth in the city of Boise in Idaho.
You know, this is where the truth is being proclaimed, et cetera.
But here's the thing.
Think about the pillar of cloud.
What is the, what was the pillar of cloud doing to the children of Israel?
It was overshadowing them.
It was covering them.
Well, you know, the old Testament, what is the old Testament?
It's like a pillar of cloud.
Why?
Because of the fact that it was a shadow of things to come.
It overshadowed a lot of the truths that were revealed by fire in the new Testament.
See that pillar of fire is that enlightening, the enlightenment that God
gave us, you know, where the mead strings, diverse washings, the Cardinal ordinances
are revealed to us what they actually mean.
Go to Colossians chapter number two, if you would Colossians chapter number two.
Talk about supernatural occurrences.
And you know what?
Often when I, when I study a subject like this, I stand in awe of all of the layers
of the Bible has just layer after layer of biblical truths of symbolism.
And I realized the more I know, the more I really don't know, because there's
so many layers of truth, so many layers of symbolism, so many things that God
wants to teach us in the Bible, look at Colossians chapter number two, it says
in verse number 14, blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was
against us, which was contrary to us and took it out of the way, nailing it.
To his cross and having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show
of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
So what is he saying here?
When he talks about those ordinances, these are these old Testament ordinances
that were, they were put forth that were given to the children of Israel.
Uh, in the old Testament, when Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross, they
put the nail in his hands, the nail on his feet, the crown of thorns upon his
head, and the crucified him on the cross.
He became the culmination of those ordinances.
He made a show of those ordinances openly.
So when he was crucified, you know what he was the lamb of God who
should take away the sins of the world.
Okay.
And so all of those old Testament ordinances were fulfilled when Jesus
Christ was crucified on the cross.
And so he says in verse 16, let no man therefore judge you in me, amen.
Or in drink or in respect of a holy day, seven day Adventist or the new moon or
of the Sabbath days, which are a shadow of things to come, but the body is of Christ.
So in like manner, you have the old Testament children of Israel being led
by the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire, but the body of people, they
were God's chosen people when like manner today, you know, today we have
the shadow of things to come that were fulfilled in Jesus Christ, but the body,
the churches are of Christ.
Okay.
And we see that they're being fulfilled.
And so pillar of cloud or a cloud, natural pillar of cloud
leading you by day, supernatural.
Fire, natural pillar of fire, keeping you warm, leading you
throughout the night, supernatural.
God using these things in order to convey a specific message.
Now, let me skip a couple of things here.
Go with you.
If you would to first Corinthians chapter 14, first Corinthians chapter 14.
And here's my last point.
We're talking about God taking that, which is natural and modifying it in order for
it to exceed its limitations, to make it supernatural, why does he do that?
To convey a message, to teach something, not only to, to, to give the word of God
to the prophets, to the Kings, but to have a spiritual truth behind it.
Okay.
And let me give you the best one.
This one, this one right here is the best one.
Okay.
It is the best one that exists to this day.
Okay.
Cause God is still doing this.
Maybe not at the level that we see with Mount Sinai or the burning
bush, or even, you know, God talking to Elijah through the whirlwind.
Or I'm sorry, Job through the whirlwind.
And he's speaking to Elijah to the still small voice.
You know, he's speaking all day.
We often think like, man, I would love to have been there for that.
That's that would have just been awesome.
But I submit to you that the way he's doing it today is way better.
Cause he's still taking that, which is natural and making it supernatural.
Look what it says in first Corinthians chapter two, verse 14, but the natural
man receiveth, not the things of the spirit of God for they are foolishness
unto him, neither can he know them for they are because they are spiritually.
Discern.
So when it says the natural man, it's referring to the fleshly man, the
unsaved man.
So someone who is not saved is only a natural man.
Now make no mistake about it.
We are natural people still.
Why?
Because we have this flesh and this flesh is not saved.
We're waiting to wit the redemption of our body.
So right now we have the Holy spirit of God dwelling within us.
He's the earnest of our inheritance unto the redemption of the purchase
possession, unto the praise of his glory.
We're waiting for that resurrection, the rapture, where our, our corruptible
bodies shall be, shall put on incorruption.
Right?
So right now we are a natural being in the sense that our flesh is natural.
But hold on a second.
When we got saved, we became supernatural.
Because now there's something that exceeds the limitations of this flesh.
And what is that?
The spirit.
We have now become superheroes, supernatural people, right?
Go to second Corinthians chapter four.
He said, well, how are you going to, how are you trying to tie this in with this
sermon?
Because we're talking about, you know, God in sundry times and in diverse
manners, speaking unto people.
Well, he's still speaking today.
How's he doing it?
Through the natural man who is supernatural because he saved, because
we're preaching God's word.
Now, does he use the Bible?
Absolutely.
You know, faith cometh by hearing, hearing by the word of God, but let me just
newsflash.
We have to preach it, right?
We don't go to people at the door and knock on the door and said,
just like, Oh, thanks.
I got, it's free.
He was like, you know, we open up the Bible and we preach to them, Christ and
him crucified.
Look at the Bible says in second Corinthians chapter four verse number
three, but if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost in whom the
God of this world had blinded the minds of them, which believed not lest the light
of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God should shine unto them.
For he preached not ourselves, but Christ, Jesus, the Lord and ourselves, your
servants for Jesus sake, for God who commanded the light to shine out of
darkness had shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory
of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
And look what it says in verse seven, but we have this treasure in earthen vessels
that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us.
So you know what?
God is still using supernatural means to proclaim his word.
And what natural thing is he using today?
Us.
He's using men and women who nothing great about us.
Our flesh is corruptible, but because we have the spirit of God dwelling within us,
we have something supernatural that dwells within us.
We have the spirit of God.
We have the new man within us.
Therefore we can open our mouths boldly to make known the mysteries of the gospel.
We can preach the word of God.
We can get people saved.
We can reform the minds of other Christians to see it God's way.
So God is still doing supernatural things with just regular natural people.
But here's the thing.
If our gospel be hit is hit to them that are lost.
And he says in verse six, for God who commanded the light to shine out of
darkness, what is he saying there?
Well, this flesh is like darkness and what is he doing?
He's commanding the light that's within us to shine out of that.
That's what he tells us.
Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify
your father, which is in heaven.
You know, men don't light a candle and put it under a bushel.
We, in order to be used supernaturally, we have to go out there and preach the word
of God.
We have to preach the gospel.
We have to ask God to fill us with his power and the spirit, because you know
what?
God is still revealing his word, not new revelation.
Maybe a new revelation to someone who just doesn't know the Bible, but he's still
revealing God's word to people today.
And he's still using natural things like human beings to do it.
And you know what, though?
He's still doing it by a supernatural way though, because he turns every single
Christian into another man.
He turned Saul into another man.
He turned Paul into another man.
He turned Peter into another man.
He turned, you know, James and John into the sons of thunder.
He turned Saul into Paul.
He turned these individuals into supernatural beings who were able to go
out and proclaim God's word and make manifest the word of God by supernatural
means.
Go to Titus chapter one, and this is the last verse.
That's why, you know, this whole teaching that, oh, you know, people need, they only
need the Bible to be saved.
They don't need soul winners.
Such a, such a stupid teaching in my opinion.
Okay.
Because it downplays the importance of the earth and vessel and the earth and vessel
is important folks.
You know, God needs us to go out and preach the word of God.
And you know, people have said this, well, well, you know, the, the guy who was in
hell in Luke chapter 16, the rich man, you know, he told, he asked, he asked, uh,
Abraham to send someone into his brothers, you know, who are, so they wouldn't come
to this place.
And the response to Abraham gave, he said, well, they have Moses and the prophets
and Moses, the prophets is the word of God.
So there you go.
All they have to do is read the word of God and then they'll get it.
But you don't ask chapter 15, debunks that it says accept chapter 15 verse 19
verse 21 for Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him.
So when it says they have Moses and the prophets, what he's saying is this.
They have people who actually preach Moses and the prophets.
Okay.
Do not discount the human element of preaching God's word.
Look what Titus chapter one, verse number one says, Paul, a servant of God and
apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect and the acknowledging
of the truth, which is after godliness in hope of eternal life, which God cannot lie
promised before the world began, but hath in due times manifested his word through
preaching, which is committed unto me, according to the commandment of God, our
savior.
So how is he manifesting his word today?
It's not through a burning bush.
It's not through Mount Sinai.
It's not through the whirlwind.
It's not through the still small voice.
It's not through the pillar of cloud or the pillar of fire.
Who is it through earth and vessels like you and I.
So the application for you and for me today is this.
Are you being supernatural or are you still acting like a natural person?
Are you allowing God to make you supernatural by using you as a vessel and
to honor me for the master's use?
Or are you a vessel unto dishonor?
Just not, you're just like, well, you know, I don't, I'm not really into the
soul winning thing.
I'm not really into preaching God's word.
You know, I'm not really into those things.
Well, then you're not a supernatural person or you're not acting like a
supernatural person.
I don't know about you, but I want to be supernatural.
Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to be like a superhero.
Got my wish because the real superheroes are the soul winners.
Amen.
The real superheroes are those who are actually pulling people out of the fire.
That's pretty much it.
Let's bow our heads in our word of prayer.
Father, we thank you so much for your word and thank you for the exciting
content in the Bible.
All the supernatural occurrences that you placed in the word of God.
The Bible is definitely not a boring book to read.
So much excitement in it and so many layers of truth and symbolism that we can
learn Lord, but more importantly, Lord, help us to realize that although you did
some pretty amazing supernatural miracles in the Bible, you're still doing the
greatest miracle today.
And that's saving people from hell using regular people, you know, uh, maybe
unwise or foolish people, but people who are just wanting to serve you, wanting to
be filled with the spirit, wanting to get other people saved.
I pray God that you'd help us to be supernatural and in Jesus name we pray.
Amen.