Meeting with and Worshipping God

Exodus 19:1 In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai. 2 For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount. 3 And Moses went up unto God, and the Lord called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; 4 Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself. 5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: 6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel. 7 And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the Lord commanded him. 8 And all the people answered together, and said, All that the Lord hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the Lord. 9 And the Lord said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the Lord.

10 And the Lord said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes, 11 And be ready against the third day: for the third day the Lord will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai. 12 And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it: whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death: 13 There shall not an hand touch it, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount. 14 And Moses went down from the mount unto the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their clothes. 15 And he said unto the people, Be ready against the third day: come not at your wives. 16 And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled. 17 And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. 18 And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. 19 And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice. 20 And the Lord came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the Lord called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up. 21 And the Lord said unto Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto the Lord to gaze, and many of them perish. 22 And let the priests also, which come near to the Lord, sanctify themselves, lest the Lord break forth upon them. 23 And Moses said unto the Lord, The people cannot come up to mount Sinai: for thou chargedst us, saying, Set bounds about the mount, and sanctify it. 24 And the Lord said unto him, Away, get thee down, and thou shalt come up, thou, and Aaron with thee: but let not the priests and the people break through to come up unto the Lord, lest he break forth upon them. 25 So Moses went down unto the people, and spake unto them.

• God’s promise to Moses was that they would worship God on this mountain Exodus 3:12 And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.

• They have come to that mountain

• They will be here at the mountain for the next 11 months

• Here God’s people will hear God’s voice Deuteronomy 4:33 Did ever people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and live? 5:23 And it came to pass, when ye heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, (for the mountain did burn with fire,) that ye came near unto me, even all the heads of your tribes, and your elders; 24 And ye said, Behold, the Lord our God hath shewed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth. 25 Now therefore why should we die? for this great fire will consume us: if we hear the voice of the Lord our God any more, then we shall die. 26 For who is there of all flesh, that hath heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived? 27 Go thou near, and hear all that the Lord our God shall say: and speak thou unto us all that the Lord our God shall speak unto thee; and we will hear it, and do it.

• Their rescue from Egypt was all God 4 Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself.

1. God wanted them to be aware of the fact that He did it.

2. If God did it then it wasn't depending on you

3. If God did then you can't undo what He did

4. It was God that brought them to himself and not them seeking to get to Him

5. It was God that defeated their enemy.

6. It was God that lifted them out of slavery

7. They were brought out of slavery to be free

8. They were born out on eagle’s wings Deuteronomy 32:10 He found him in a desert land, And in the waste howling wilderness; He led him about, he instructed him, He kept him as the apple of his eye. 11 As an eagle stirreth up her nest, Fluttereth over her young, Spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, Beareth them on her wings: 12 So the Lord alone did lead him, And there was no strange god with him.

9. The little eagle is freed from its nest-like we were redeemed and freed from our sin

10. They were mature enough to fly, be free, and live out what they were made to be

11. They were free to fulfill their purpose in life, do their ministry

12. We too have been delivered from sin, doing bad, so that we are able to good and accomplish God’s will on the earth

13. For God, Egypt was a furnace Deuteronomy 4:20 But the Lord hath taken you, and brought you forth out of the iron furnace, even out of Egypt, to be unto him a people of inheritance, as ye are this day.

14. For Israel, Egypt was often more like a nest where they had food, shelter, and security

15. God has something better but they will have to leave their comfort zone, and step out into the unknown

• God is the owner of everything 5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:

1. God wants them and all of us to know that He is the owner of everything for all the earth is mine: Exodus 9:29 And Moses said unto him, As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will spread abroad my hands unto the Lord; and the thunder shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail; that thou mayest know how that the earth is the Lord’s.

2. Not just the earth but everything in it Deuteronomy 10:14 Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the Lord’s thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is.

3. He even owns the creation and all of us that live on the planet Psalm 24:1 The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; The world, and they that dwell therein.

4. He doesn't need us or our things Psalm 50:12 If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: For the world is mine, and the fulness thereof.

5. The New Testament teaches the same truth I Corinthians 10:26 For the earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof.

6. The fundamental problem most Christians have is realizing that God owns everything

7. He owns us

8. He owns what we have

9. When He commands us to be responsible with our possessions He has every right

10. When He teaches us to give He has every right

11. We should not be angry and think that He wants our stuff

• He has blessed us by His grace to be His and serve Him 5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: 6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

1. They had been slaves but now God has something better for them

2. They would be His treasured possession 5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:

3. Everyone and everything belongs to the Lord

4. But He chooses to make Israel His special people

5. But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

6. This special blessing of being chosen didn't mean that they are better but that they are set apart to do a special work for the Lord. They were to be a blessing to the whole world John 4:22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.

7. That makes them responsible for getting the gospel to the world

8. They were a kingdom of priests for Him 6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

9. All Israel was to live like a priest

10. They were to show the truth and share the blessings with the whole world

11. The world was to know from the Jews that there was one God and He was the source of blessings

12. Instead of being this light, they adopted the religions and lifestyle of the world

13. They lost their light for a time but they will be back

14. They were His holy nation 6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

15. He commanded His people to be holy Leviticus 11:44 For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

16. They should live like they belong to God

17. Every activity should be governed by the fact that they are God’s people

18. Being holy would affect every part of our lives

19. God’s men were to teach or put a difference Leviticus 10:10 And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean; 11 And that ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the LORD hath spoken unto them by the hand of Moses.

20. Today we have the same ministry I Peter 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. 9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

• Living out this relationship

1. The people decided that they would obey God 8 And all the people answered together, and said, All that the Lord hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the Lord.

2. God wants them to listen to and follow Moses, the man He has put in charge of leading them 9 And the Lord said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the Lord.

3. God was marking the difference in Him and them

4. He was showing them that they could not come to God on their own terms. He set limits 12 And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it: whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death:

5. They were to wash themselves and prepare to meet with Him 10 And the Lord said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes, 11 And be ready against the third day: for the third day the Lord will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai.

6. They could not go up into the mountain 12 And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it: whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death:

7. There was a distance between them and God

8. They were sinful and He is holy

9. You can’t just run into God’s presence

10. You can’t come to God on your own terms

11. They were to keep their distance

12. By Jesus, we have been brought near

13. Everything in the Old Testament pointed to the fact that you couldn't get to God on your own then Jesus comes and is the way to God

14. There was a great storm 16 And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled.

15. Everything screams to the people that He is God and all-powerful

16. He is an awesome God full of power

17. He controls the weather and the elements

18. They were to recognize that they were meeting with God

19. This was no weak, helpless, god of the Egyptians

• God’s people have finally come to the place to worship God

• He has shown Himself in great power

• From this, we need to learn that it is God that has saved us and is at work in our hearts

• We should know now that God owns everything. That will affect our attitude towards stewardship and giving

• We are in a special body built and designed to serve Him

• Let’s not waste the grace of God in our lives like the Jews did

• Let’s recognize that we do serve the One and Only true God