Aaron McKee - The Relenting and Unrelenting God - Class 1 - The Paradox (Exo. 33v12-34v7)

Automatically transcribed. Accuracy is good but not perfect, and words are sometimes wrong. Trust the audio over the text.

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   This is Class 1. The overall subject is the relenting and unrelenting God, and the first class is entitled The Paradox. Brother Aaron going. Too far now. All right. Well, good morning, brothers and sisters. This is a lovely view of everybody.

2. 0:42

   Brother Kurt was not wrong about the weather. To go from a place where we do not see the sun for weeks on end to an abundance of sun made Rose and I question some of our life choices as to as to where we are.

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   But thank you not only for the warmth of the sun, but also the warmth of your hospitality and welcoming us here. It’s it certainly means a lot. The words of Solomon save the writing of many books. There is no end. And, and I found myself thinking this recently as walking the aisle of a local bookstore. I’ve reflected that while walking by many different books written by many different authors, penned over many different years.

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   While many of the faces were the same, many of the characters were the same. There’s nothing revolutionary in in that observation. Brothers, sisters. Because in fact, some of some of history’s most famous individuals are are extensively written on, aren’t they? You think they’re Napoleon Bonaparte, right? The the, the French emperor, the the the Conqueror of Europe.

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   In fact, you know he’s extensively written on. There are over 300,000 books dedicated to the life of Napoleon. If William Shakespeare, that illustrious playwright, how many of you think there are brothers, sisters. There’s over 150,000 books written on his life. Abraham Lincoln 120,000 People spend years, in many cases hundreds and thousands debating character, all for the simple reason that character is hard to define, isn’t it not? Not only is it defined on a number of ambiguous moral qualities like being caring and kind and and patient and long-suffering, but but it changes over time and circumstance.

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   It’s perceived in many different ways by the many people who observe us in our lives. You know how you see something that the angle and event transpires imparts vastly different assessments of a person’s character? For that reason, Brun sisters, you might know somebody a very long time in this life, yet yet still not truly know them.

7. 3:25

   To add to this challenge, people are are frustratingly complex, aren’t we? No one of us in this room can be reduced to a single thing. Brun sisters. It’s not so neat as that, isn’t it? We can’t be be boxed into something. We’re layered as individuals and in many ways that is a reflection of our God, our God who has many things at many times in the record of this book in front of us this weekend, brothers and sisters, we are going to dedicate our thoughts to just two qualities of the powerful, dynamic, merciful and just character of our God. And as I say that, you know, just two qualities, we’ll, we’ll know that that’s going to be anything but simple and far from easy.

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   Because on the surface, these are qualities that present as a paradox, things conflicting that are seemingly incompatible, qualities that that on the surface are of enormous depth and scope. These are traits woven through the very heart of Scripture. We see them pattern from the first words of Genesis to the final statement of Revelation.

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   These are traits we consider that reveal the essence of our God, who he is, how he works, what he expects of the works of man trace when considered that that strike the the heart of his identity. These are qualities Bron sisters revealed in glimmers and shadows.

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    They pass us on the summits of Sinai. They’re born to us in the shadow of God’s law. These are things Bron sisters, prophets and kings long to understand, sought to know, but were convinced they knew about God. And these are things that John witnessed and all its glory. These are things, Bron sisters, that will not be hidden from you, but they are plainly and purposely revealed to us in the record of this book.

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    Not just in sentiments and words, Brun sisters, but they are demonstrated in the countless lives of those who allow themselves to be shaped and molded by the expression of God’s character. And of course, the things we will consider this weekend, what will dedicate our thoughts to grasp in our coming classes, is the relenting an unrelenting character of our God. But we’ll start our thoughts this morning with the simple acknowledgement that all throughout Scripture, our our Bible is written on a fault line. You guys might know something about that in California, but we can know this in many ways.

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    But perhaps the most apparent is simply the structure of Scripture itself. But let’s think about it for a moment, Brun sisters, because we see this in the most macro sense possible. When we look at at the composition of the Bible, we see it in the last words of the old verse, the New Testament. How does the Old Testament M Brun sisters? Behold, writes Malachi, I send Elijah to turn the hearts of fathers, lest I strike you with destruction. That’s how the Old Testament ends. It ends in a in a decree of judgement. Contrast that to the new.

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    How does it end, we think, to the last words of revelation. Surely I come quickly. May the grace of Christ be with you all. One’s a blessing, the other a curse. And in many ways, Bruns sisters, that that reflects what what some see as these two distinct characters of God. You know, some go so far as to label God a God of Old or New Testament, a God of law and justice or or the God of grace, a God of judgement and fire.

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    The other who saves some go so far as to negate one over the other. They refuse to acknowledge, to read, to perceive, to to profess one over the other. They they hold to a God of love or or or diligently cling to the God of justice who who only rewards those who who who’ve carefully walked in his footsteps.

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    And that tension, Brun sisters, that we see at the highest level of Scripture that that’s something that goes beyond the surface. In fact, it goes to the heart of His word. Let’s think about it for a minute, Brun sisters. We’ll dedicate some time this morning to think about it. Come with me to Ezekiel chapter 24. You know, it’s no secret that at certain times in the record of Scripture, God is depicted in very unrelenting ways. You know, your minds might go to First Samuel 15. I am not a man that I relent says God might go to Numbers 23. God is not man that he lies, nor son of man that he relents. What I have said will I not do.

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    These are bold declarations, bronze sisters. And not only are these declarations, not only are these sentiments, but we know all too, all too well that there are times where God takes decisive action, times where judgments are decreed and subsequently executed and unrelenting ways. And in Ezekiel 24, we see one such character in action.

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    Here we’re introduced to a people in the culmination of their obstinance towards God. This is a people who walk contrary to his ways. They reject the appeals of prophets. They they burn the word of God rather than hear it. And at the writing of this chapter, they now see the culmination of these actions, the judgments of God. They come to fruition.

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    They look beyond the walls of Jerusalem. They see the armies of Babylon. And in this moment, verse 14, what does God say? This was my judgment.

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    This I have spoken, says God. It will come to pass. I will not go back. I will not spare, I will not relent, I will not relent says God. And we know that to be true. Brun sisters once stated this would come to pass and what we see here is this character of God in action. He unequivocally stated that his judgements were final, they would not be turned.

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    I am not a man says God, that I should relent and and Brun sisters, we know this is an aspect of our God not only highlighted in the words of Ezekiel, not only in the judgement of Israel. In fact, we see this one echoed all throughout his word. We see this character of God in the words of Jeremiah. Jeremiah, a contemporary of Ezekiel, writing to the to the same impending judgement, makes a similar declaration in Jeremiah 4 verse 28.

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    He says the earth will mourn this day, the heavens will be darkened for this I’ve spoken, says God, this I purposed. I will not relent. I will not turn back again. Jeremiah 15, verse six. He says I’m weary of relenting.

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    I will not spare my judgments. And of course, this characterization of our God Bron sisters, it extends far beyond these writings, far past the words of Israel and Judah. We see this character of God in the accounts of Amos, Amos chapter 1. We’re giving these declarations of guns justice spoken in context to holding our world to account for the the transgressions of the nations.

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    What does it read? It says the Lord roars from Zion. He utters his voice from Jerusalem, and thus he says in verse 3 for the transgression of Damascus, I will not relent. My punishment first Lord. Thus says the Lord for the transgressions of Gaza, I will not relent. Verse nine against Tyre, I will not relent. Verse 11 against Edom, I will not relent. Verse 13 against Amon, I shall not relent. Chapter 2 against Moab, I will not relent. Verse four against Judah, I will not relent. For Israel because they sell the righteous for silver and they reject the law of God, I will not relent. And in many ways, run.

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    Sisters, what we witness in these verses is a characterization of our God that we’re perhaps a bit familiar with. This is the God of David in Psalm 91, who would characterize as the God of vengeance, who would declare in Deuteronomy 32, Vengeance is mine, says God. One who holds the guilty to account who will not suffer, and justice who, once his judgements are made for good or bad, will not deviate or turn till it is fulfilled.

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    And while that might sound very neat, brothers, sisters, you know, something that we can, you know, draw a, a box around and, and, and say, well, that’s who our God is. And, and maybe there’s a degree of uncomfortableness and that’s a, you know, we, we take some comfort because it’s predictable. We have to acknowledge attention, brothers, sisters, attention, because in Jeremiah 26, in the very same place of history as Ezekiel prophesied in the very same book, in the mouth of the same prophet who himself characterized the judgments of God as unrelenting, what does he say in verse 13? Now, therefore, men, Judies repair your ways, obey the voice of God and the Lord will relent.

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    He’ll change says Jeremiah. In other words, those things you just read before the judgments he pronounced that were once certain that would unequivocally come to pass by the mouth of the same prophet are no longer so God would change the judgments that were unchangeable. What a fascinating, you know, contrasting paradox of character being being presented to us.

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    Brun sisters and we see this this conflict, these seemingly paradoxical traits. Bron sisters. We see them all throughout our Bibles. We see them in Amos Amos again, that same prophet we just read who opens his book with the the long list of God’s unrelenting judgments. What does it say in Chapter 7 upon seeing these visions of destruction, upon hearing them, what does Amos say? Oh, God, please forgive.

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    How can we stand? We are so small and what does God say? It says and the Lord relented and said, it shall not be gone again. Verse four got your judgments of fire that devour the deep. And he says, O Lord, please cease. How can we stand? And what does it say? And the Lord relented and said, it shall not be done.

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    And when you think of it, Brun sisters, just as we see the unrelenting God, how often do we have the image of the relenting 1? You know, sometimes we see him in the same place as we see him in Sodom and Gomorrah. Judgement was made, but willing to relent if just just 10 righteous were found in that city.

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    And when 10 could not even be found, what does he do? He sends his angels for Lot, and not only Lot, but his entire family. We see him in Second Samuel 24. Judgment is made for the transgression of David, but at his prayer relents from from striking Jerusalem. We see it in Exodus 32. The words our brother read were in the face of Israel’s transgressions.

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    In the Sinai judgment is declared, but at the words of Moses the Lord relented from disaster. We see it in the words of Joel Brown sisters, who in Speaking of times to come, when characterizing the day of our Lord’s return, a day of judgement. What does he say of that day? The earth will quake, the heavens tremble, the sun, the moon, the clouds will be darkened. The voice of the Lord will be uttered before his army and executed in power.

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    Yet even then, even in this last moment, the moment of justice promised to come to this world, what does it say? Verse 12. But return to me says God, for I am gracious and merciful and I’m slow to anger and abounding in love and I relent over disaster. What a beautiful picture of our God. Brother and sisters.

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    This is the God of love that I, I think John was writing of. So what do we make of this brother and sisters? You know, we, we use these words this morning and in some ways they’re semantics. We say unrelenting and relenting. But but this tension, brother and sisters, is is manifest in many ways throughout the word of God. It’s synonymous for grace and truth, justice and mercy, goodness and severity.

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    Well, brother and sisters, as we talk about this, we might reflect that that we struggle in this tension. We play with these traits we’re we’re in seeing contrast, but for comfort, but sometimes far more often personality we we we bump one over the other conform God to ways we’re comfortable seeing him. We we promote a God predictable and justice or reliable and grace and bronze sisters.

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    If you do that, know that you are not alone in it. In fact, that’s something we see in the earliest records of Scripture. Paul equally warned in the 1st century of those who who lived by the law of circumcision, who could only see the unrelenting God of truth.

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    As much as He warned US against those who abuse grace to the point of sin, He warns of it because how we perceive this dynamic of God, brothers, sisters, matters and has incredible far reaching consequence. We see it in Jonah who in his accusing words I knew you were gracious and merciful. Lord exposed the character that resented God’s grace because He craved His justice.

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    We see it in Judas because he could not perceive the extents of God’s character of grace took his own life. We see it in the words of Christ and the parable of talent, who when explaining why that servant never went out while he while he didn’t yield the gain with it, while he buried it in the ground and didn’t do as the master asked.

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    What did the servant say? I did this because I knew you were a hard man. Exposing the core of his failure. Brun sisters was rooted in misperception of the master. He could only see the unrelenting that dictated everything he was in his life. In their examples is the lesson that who you believe God to be

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    is how you will show him in your life. In their examples of the lesson that how you perceive the character of God dictates everything about who you are in a walk in the truth, come with me to first Kings 19,

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    we mentioned a few who struggled in the perception of God. Bron sisters and Elijah is one of them. Elijah is a man who flattened God’s character, the one that shapes through confrontation, and it’s hard to fault them for this. I think we needed a degree of grace for Elijah because he, like many, shapes perception on life experience. Think how think how God worked in Elijah’s life. You know, Ahab was a wicked king. He brings a drought.

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    He exposed the prophets of Baal with fire from heaven. He meets their taunts and execution. And we have to reflect that in the same way, brothers and sisters, our perception of God is often rooted in how he worked in our lives. Often we lean to grace because we are those who’ve needed it. We gravitate the truth because we’ve perhaps had lives disrupted.

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    So we crave order and structure in our faith and ecclesias. But we have to push beyond lived experience from sisters. We have to strive for the fullness of God because misperception almost destroyed Elijah.

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    You see, after what he envisioned as the irrefutable moment, the the culminating activist ministry, after the moment that that should have turned the heart of Israel, Because after all, isn’t that how God works? Where where he will expose his power to man and they will listen? After the moment of fire from heaven that should have turned them to God.

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    When it fails, He gives up. It was beyond his knowledge of God at that point. He casts himself in the wilderness. He despairs his own life. And in this moment, in searching to to know God, how he works with man, how he reaches Sinai and he witnesses the events of verse 12. And in this moment Elijah is confronted with some powerful truth.

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    Bruin sisters. The 1st is that it disclaims the perception Elijah formed of God, of a God all about presenting truth firmly, undeniably, no, no matter how callous and cold. And you know, if people don’t accept that they can burn in fire for all he cares. God shows him something deeper,

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    that it’s not in the nature of our God to coerce or destroy, but by qualities of his character touch the heart of man. That’s something the fires of Carmel could not do, says God. That’s something the earthquakes at Sinai or are the winds that part of the Seas for Israel could not instill in their hearts centuries before fear can impart the reality of Godburn, sisters, but it will not change hearts. The lesson learned at Sinai are the words of Zechariah 4, verse 6.

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    I will call them, says God, not by might nor by power, but by my spirit. This weekend, brothers and sisters, we will seek to better understand this spirit, this character of God that changes the heart of man. But the second thing we’ll note is that while he uses the winds and the fire and the earthquake to do his bidding and and manifest power and state his authority, God says to know me, Elijah, to truly understand me. Is to look deeper.

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    Come with me to Exodus 33. You know it’s no accident that when running to understand God Elijah comes to Sinai. In fact, isn’t just just Sinai. He goes to infect the Septuagint, calls this place The Cave, the very place Moses 400 years prior stood and sought to know the character of God. You see, like Elijah, Moses came here in despair, Brun sisters,

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    in a moment of confusion and in face of failure, in fear, struggling to see how God works with man in face of this enormous sin of Israel, he ascends that mountain. And in face of grace that challenged his concept of God, he cries out these words on the screen. Show me your ways. That I may know you in these words, Brun sisters, we’ll end on three thoughts to frame our weekend to come. The 1st is this statement.

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    Show me your ways, you know do do. Do you find it strange, Brun sisters, that Moses asked this now? But he’s the first person in in the entire record of Scripture to ever pose this question of God. But but think about it for a moment. This is a man who after how many years walked with God? How many moments did he speak to him in intimacy? How many signs and wonders performed by his power. And through his hand the seas were parted through him. He spoke to God in the burning Bush. He heard his name in the Bush of fire. He saw him in the plagues of Egypt. And now he says, show me who you are. We see what Moses is truly asking here, Brun sisters, in the words of Psalm 103, the words of David verse seven, who in speaking to this very moment at the events of Sinai, what does he say?

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    At Sinai you showed Israel your axe, the fire in the the earthquake and cloud to Moses. You showed your ways. Like Elijah Brun sisters, Moses knew God by his actions. The God that broke the back of Egypt with justice. The God who broke the the bondage maker with unrelenting truth. What he’s seeking now is to understand what is behind these actions, what’s the character of God that will always guide His hand with men.

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    He’s looking, Brun sisters, for a blueprint for how God is committing to work in his life, to work with Israel, to work with us, and the importance of knowing this Brun sisters of this distinction. We see it in the words of Psalm 95, the words of David, verse 9 to 10. These are the words of God. Actually, your Father’s put me to the test, says God. And I loathe them for it, because they only saw my axe, but went astray in their hearts because they did not know my ways.

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    Time and again, brothers, sisters, Israel only saw the superficial. Time and again saw his axe, missed his intentions, interpreted his power, missed his character. We see it in the spies sent to the land of Israel, thinking God sent them there for their destruction. We see it in the grumblings in the wilderness, thinking God brought them there to die.

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    We see it in the bronze serpent, a symbol of their atonement turned into an idol of worship. Acts inspire awe and fear. Brothers, sisters, knowing the character of God changes our hearts. The challenge for believers are the words of Christ, of John 15. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know the master.

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    They behave on actions and orders. But I call you friends, for all I have heard of the Father, I make known to you. Friends, brothers and sisters, know the ways, the intense, the reasons. That’s what we will endeavour to do this weekend, to glimpse the ways of God, to understand his character guiding his hand and our lives, and in this world, to draw near as Moses did, and be called a friend of the living God as he once was.

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    For that reason, Brun sisters, Exodus 34 will be a turning point in our Bibles. For this reason, the words of of Moses in verse 7 will be one of the most quoted passages of Scripture by other authors of Scripture. This is literally a hinge in the word of God that authors keep returning to. Moses quotes this, Hosea quotes it, Jeremiah, Joel, David. The authors of Lamentation quote this first because they recognize in it what we should all see. And that’s that to know these qualities is to know God. Hosea 3 verse 11 says there is no knowledge of God when there is no mercy or truth in the land. The second thing we’ll note are in these words that I may know you and it’s so important we understand Brun sisters, what Moses is really asking here because you see, what he’s not asking is something intellectual. What he’s not asking is something theological or even ideological.

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    What he’s seeking is something deeper. This word no Brun sisters that is used all throughout Scripture to describe intimacy intimacy in relationships between husband and wife intimacy between God and man. We think to the words of Amos three you only have I known says God my chosen and elect people intimacy in Exodus 3 verse seven. I know their suffering says God I I feel it as my own in the suffering of Egypt.

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    So what he’s asking bronze sisters, it is not just the illogical not just the list of facts about his God. It’s an experiential 1 when he can emulate, when he can, when he can replicate one that he might receive the grace of God. We will endeavour by the sisters to know God in this way, to understand the practical expression behind these qualities of character. So it may be said of us as written long ago of Josiah. He showed justice and mercy.

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    And was that not knowing me? Says God. The final thing we’ll note, run, sisters, is how God answers Moses, because you see, in response to the impossible dream, in response to man’s desire to stand in the presence of God’s glory, the essence of God on high and his, his power and might, how does he respond? What does he do?

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    Like Elijah, God draws him closer beyond the divine expression of power, beyond the axe, beyond this heart of darkness and cloud and fire that consumed the mountain top, that drew the rest of Israel away from him. And in the midst of these things, what does he show? His name, Brun sisters. His character, the glory of God that he works in this earth is his character.

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    And what does he say? How does he show it? He says, Moses, I am a God merciful, I am gracious, I am abounding in love and mercy to the thousandth. This is who I am, but by no means will I clear the guilty. This is who I am. Moses, always our God is a relenting and unrelenting God born sisters.

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    He is a God of grace and truth, justice and mercy. In our coming classes we are going to reconcile how these qualities work together, not in contrast, not in compromise. This man often perceives and practices these things, but through each other and for a single purpose. Bruns sisters, we will work in our coming classes to live the words of Eli afasted Job. Acquaint now yourself and be at peace with him to be guided in the words of Jeremiah.

63. 31:30

    Let not the wise glory and wisdom, but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who exercises love and justice in the earth. For these things, says God, I delight.