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Good Friday morning July 19 to you my friends, today we are in the very powerful 20th chapter of Exodus.
We’re standing surrounded by nearly 2 million people, with whom we’ve been traveling for three months, since our middle of the night flight out of Egypt on that first, miraculous, Passover night. We have experienced remarkable, amazing things. . . but this morning we must admit, we are frightened and anxious.
Exodus 19 tells us the mountain before us, Mount Sinai, is trembling like an earthquake and billowing smoke from the top, as though it is an erupting volcano. Three days ago, Moses had spread the word through the refugee camp, that we should prepare ourselves to meet with God, the Almighty God. We have come to this mountain, since it is here, Moses first met with God at a burning bush, which was not consumed, and Moses told us that God told Him, He was going to rescue us from Pharaoh’s slave-bondage by HIS mighty hand.
The plagues were each remarkable demonstrations of God’s power. By the time this huge tidal wave of fleeing slaves left Egypt, it was devastated, decimated by God’s powerful plagues.
The Red Sea opened allowing this huge throng of about 2 million people, plus all their belongings and thousands of animals, to cross over on dry land, to the desert on the other side of the Sea.When Pharaoh’s army rushed in, the walls of water collapsed on them, and they drowned. Water from a gushing rock in the desert, and a daily delivery of Manna, is but two of many miracles of food which has sustained this refugee city.
A cloud by day and pillar of fire by night has been one of many evidences of God among this traveling people, and God has led them here, to this mountain, to meet with Him.
Now, this morning, the moment has arrived, for an encounter with God. I wonder how long the people stood at the mountain, simply in awe of the sight and sound. . . lightning, thunder, a loud trumpet blast, and then a Voice. I wonder what the voice of God sounded like that morning. . .
“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.” (Ex. 20:1)
What does a hush, spreading among 2 million people sound like? Or the sound of a collective gasp of a huge throng of people, spread out as far as they eye can see?
Did the people fall to the ground, or at least bow down? Did they tremble and grab ahold of each other in fear? Was there a long silence, following the Voice’s introduction?
My friends, may I ask all of us. . . how do we come into the Presence of God? Whether it’s walking into a church worship service, or picking up your Bible to read, or bowing your head in prayer, or a private worship experience at sunrise… how do you come into God’s Presence with respect for WHO GOD is?
The first 17 verses are an uninterrupted proclamation from God Himself. HE spoke, out-loud, we presume with His booming voice, there at the quaking, and smoke billowing mountain, each word, of what we call these “10 Commandments”.
I urge you to read them very carefully, one at a time, and pause after each one, imagining God Himself has spoken them to you, in a dramatic, powerful encounter.
Notice the first four Commandments are instructions from God, regarding the relationship God wants with you, me and every human being. What do you understand about the unique, holy, life guiding, relationship God wants with you?
“You shall have no other gods before me.”
“You shall not make for yourself an idol…”
“You shall not misuse the holy name of the LORD your God…”
“You shall remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy…”
Now my friends, just ponder those four statements a moment.
How different would America be, if we really were “One nation, under God…”? Do you agree, we would really be “…indivisible…”, if we lived those four commandments daily, individually and collectively, as America?
I wonder if God paused, for an extended time, after these first four, powerful statements of declaration, about the relationship He, the Almighty, LORD, GOD, wanted with the people?
Then please notice the next six statements re-define how to live, as a people who are living in a God defined, God designed relationship with God. . .
“Honor your father and your mother…”
You see the assumption that every person has come from the union of a man & woman, who are covenanted to each other and to God, and those adults accept the responsibility of being parents, and their marriage is immersed, in a holy relationship with God, described by those first four statements. Therefore, their parenting of their children will be God honoring, and God can therefore insist, that as long as those parents are living, their descendants will treat them with honor. So how different would that be from what we currently are experiencing in our America?
“You shall not murder” What is unclear about that? Do you hear God saying…“Every person who exists, I made in My image, and their life is sacred to Me. Respect, protect, value every human being I have made, from the moment I conceive them to the moment I end their earthly life.” How different would America be, if we valued the priceless life of every person, as much as God does?
“You shall not commit adultery.” And what could possibly be unclear about this? But why is this such an important issue to God? Because He is holy, human life is sacred and the conception act which unites a man and woman sexually is very holy to God, since He is part of that and creates life…conception of life! That act, is worship of Holy God and is to be regarded as sacred, only within the covenant of marriage.
But watch this friends, Jesus said “I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matt. 5:17) Oh my! This my friends, is what I call ’emotional adultery’. The entanglement emotionally of two people who are not married, at a level that should only be reserved for husband and wife.
OR this also includes pornography...the lustful craving, involved in all varieties of this despicable addiction, which like a cancer, destroys from the inside, quietly, secretively, but terminally. Porn brings death to mind, heart, will, relationships and …the soul. It is the most addictive of all addictions and the most destructive of any addiction. It is demonic in its power. It is enslaving and self-destructive, and only the power of God can truly set a sex addict free, or deliver someone from the ravages of adultery. How different would America be today if adultery were seen by all of us, as it is seen by God?
“You shall not steal.” Even a child understands this right? Any need for further explanation? Steal is the act, which flows out of coveting and envy, right? And that’s why. . .
“You shall not covet…” Coveting is like adultery…craving that which belongs to someone else. Coveting is dis-satisfaction with God’s provision for you. Coveting is addictive and can lead you to all manner of evil behavior, that will always hurt someone else and ruin your reputation! Oh my friends, can you see how different our lives and our nation would be if we were content with what God has provided us?
“You shall not lie…” Truth is so important to God. All human truth is built on God’s foundational truth (Is. 45:18,19). Truth is pure and lives life in the light with nothing to hide, no need to distort or manipulate. Truth has nothing to fear.Truth is the very core of our relationship with God and with one another. Oh how different every segment of America would be, if we really lived TRUTH and only truth!
Now look closely friends at how the people responded to this remarkable experience with God…
“When the people saw and heard the thunder, lightning, trumpet and the voice of God…they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, ‘Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.” (20:19)
This my friends, is a dramatic and disastrous moment, in Israel’s history! God had miraculously delivered these people from slavery bondage, and brought them miraculously to this mountain, for an encounter with Him. He had proclaimed His love for them and His desire that they be His people, and He be their God…and they backed away! They asked that Moses would step between them and God. That Moses would go speak with God, and then come back and tell them about God, and what He said. This ‘back-pedaling” moment began the downward spiral of the relationship between Israel and God, which continues through the rest of their history.
Do you see Moses’ response to them? He begged them not to back away, but rather to join with him in pressing in, drawing closer to God, deepening their relationship with God. Moses said “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you so that the fear of God will be with you and keep you from sinning.” (20:20)
Hold tightly to that friends. A close relationship with God, as God desires for us and for which He has designed us, will cause us to live in profound respect, awe and even fear of Him. As that permeates our hearts, minds and wills, it will serve as a conscience, warning us when we are about to sin, and drawing us back into our sacred relationship with Holy God. But do you see, it was too much for the people. They backed away…choosing a distant relationship with God rather than the intimacy He desired. Oh my friends, what about you and me…what do we do when we sense God calling us to come closer to Him, in all His majesty?
“The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.” While fearful, Moses was developing an appetite for the awesome Presence of God, in the cloud. We will see that over and over in the days to come… but the people stayed at a distance. Oh my heart breaks at that…because it’s the same thing today. So very, very few people have a hunger for the cloud, and a profound relationship with God. That’s one of the main reasons our nation, some churches, and way too many families are drifting morally and spiritually. What about you and me, my friends? Backing away…or pressing in?
And I just have to draw your attention to vs. 24 and God’s promise… “Where-ever I cause My name to be honored, I will come to you and I will bless you.” That’s not difficult to understand, is it my friends? So what about your home, your neighborhood, your church, where your kids and grandkids live? Is God honored there…and do you see Him coming & blessing there?
Oh God we stand in awe of You. . .
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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