Live in relationship with God - Exodus 19
This is a sermon by Peter Birnie from the Riverside Church service on 1st September 2024.
Click here to read the bible passage. Click here to use larger text.
An audio recording of this sermon is available.
Click here to download and save for future listening
Exodus 19-20v21 “Live in relationship with God”
Intro:
(Slide 1) Many of you know the previous pastor of CC Riverside very well – and for those of you who were part of the church during Lee’s time here, you had the privilege of seeing him both as a single man and a husband. It was great fun watching particularly his dress sense change as his relationship with Vikki went on (Slide 2). The order of this change was a very helpful one for today’s sermon – Lee didn’t try to change himself to try to win Vikki’s affections, rather, it was as their love for one another grew that Lee’s clothes and general demeanour were transformed. Watch the Trinity Church Scarborough stream these days and wonder at the sophistication and suaveness of Lee’s outfits!!! The order matters a lot though – the established loving relationship brought about this noticeable life change.
(Slide 3) Throughout our series in Exodus we have been exhorted to fear God, cry out to God, know God, obey God, trust God, give in to God, be rescued by God, keep trusting God, be satisfied by God – all of these are summarised by and flow out of the title of today’s sermon; “Live in relationship with God.” Because of God’s holiness, grace and mercy, he chose to establish a relationship of deep love with undeserving people, sinners who couldn’t do anything to deserve such a relationship. By this point in Exodus he has rescued them miraculously, provided for them miraculously, and treated them with incredible grace even though their default response has been to grumble!
(Slide 4) But this loving relationship should change God’s people and so in the last section of the book of Exodus, from chapter 19 onwards, we get God setting out very clearly the lives that these already-rescued people, these fully-provided for people, these securely-loved people, should be living. People in a close relationship with God should live differently from what they used to, people in a close relationship with God should grow in holiness, people in a close relationship with God should live beautiful lives that demonstrate God’s goodness and glory to all around.
1) The CORE NATURE of this relationship with God (19v1-6)
(Slide 5) Let’s begin in 19v1-6 with really focussing on the core nature of this relationship with God, both the order of salvation (so vital) and the outworkings of that salvation. It is 3 months since leaving Egypt and there the people are, in front of Mount Sinai (just as God had promised Moses they would be back in Exodus 3v12). God is about to give them the law, an amazing gift that will help them live properly (and that eventually will lead people in desperation about their sin to Jesus). But before God does this momentous thing, before he sets out his own character in these commandments, it is vital for generations to come that the people are clear that their relationship with God began way before the law was given. Why is that? Because we are so prone to treating obedience as the way of earning God’s love instead of as a response to God’s love (think Lee and Vikki).
(Slide 6) So, verse 4; “You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.” As they stand together in front of Mount Sinai, they stand as an already rescued people, a people who have been carried by God to this point, a people who have been brought close to God by God himself. A people who are loved. (Slide 7) (Speaking to believers here) It is such a hard thing for people like you and me (for that is what the Israelites were) to just be able to accept that we are loved by the one true God. Do you know that God loves you?
Think of someone in your life that you love and that you would do anything for. People who belong to God through Jesus are loved by God like that but far better – they are fully loved, eternally accepted, absolutely secure. So, in front of Sinai, and before the law is given, God is saying to his people – get the order right, our relationship of love has already been established, now here are the outworkings, here is how that relationship is to define how you live.
(Slide 8) That is to be (in verses 5-6), as
- a rescued people (when you owe someone your life it fosters loyalty to that person – the people owe their very lives to God and so are to be obedient and willing because of what God has done for them)
- a treasured possession (God delighting in his people, singing songs of love over them, the apple of his eye, a loving father and a beautiful daughter)
- a kingdom of priests (such dignity and purpose here, rescued not as a charity case but to be useful, to be worshippers of God, to lead the nations to worship God – that’s what priests are to do. Isn’t is amazing that the Triune God who is completely satisfied and doesn’t need any help at all to do anything, gives this level of dignity to his people? They are to be useful and productive as a Kingdom of Priests. The testimony of Onesimus in Philemon)
- a holy nation (Nobody else has been treated like this by God! (Slide 9) Deluded chant by all football fans “by far the greatest football team the world has ever seen” – deluded because it simply isn’t true. But God’s people are the most special in the world, they have been so honoured and blessed by God. (Slide 10) Set apart, noticeably different to the nations around, living God-centred lives rather than self-centred.)
That is what the people were to learn and live up to and that is what believers in Jesus today get to own for ourselves as well. God takes all of the initiative, he sets up the relationship of love, he chooses, he rescues, he provides, he loves and his people are to respond to that love and be transformed by that love.
2) The CONFIDENT but CAREFUL nature of this relationship with God (19v7-25)
So with that ringing in their ears, are the people now ready to receive the gift of God’s law? Well, not quite yet. In 19v7-25 we see that there is no room for God’s people to treat this relationship casually. We are so prone to taking God’s incredible gift of love for granted that in fact, God is going to take a whole year at Sinai for the law to be given and explained and for it to weigh deeply and heavily on the people. It is a serious thing to be in close relationship with the Holy God.
(Slide 11) So God’s people are to be confident but careful as they live as a blessed people in this sin-torn world. They must not forget that is no small thing to come close to the living God. In fact, Tim Keller says this; “It’s as if the holiness of God is nuclear (Slide 12). If you want to approach a nuclear reactor, then you must put on protective clothing and even then not get too close.” (Chernobyl and the miners). Notice the language throughout verses 7-25. (Slide 13) The people are to be careful (v12), they are to prepare (v15), there is trembling to be done (v16 and v18), there are warnings to be given (v21and23).
All of this preparation and care, the washing, the distance from the mountain, the abstention from intimacy, the trembling, warnings, cloud, thunder, lightning, smoke, fire, the trumpet blast – all of it is to be burnt deep into the hearts of the people so that they will always realise that communion, close relationship, between sinners and a Holy God can only be possible if sin is somehow dealt with.
What does this all mean for CC Riverside? (Slide 14) Well so far this morning, we are to understand that God takes all the initiative in setting up a relationship with him – and so we are to come to Jesus and in him accept the fact that we are eternally rescued, we are absolutely treasured, we are useful and have work to do, we are holy and so to be different from the world around. But with all that security that comes with this amazing relationship of love and grace, there should not be one hint of casualness – yes on this side of the cross we know how sin has been finally dealt with but rather than this making us careless about sin, the deep price paid to allow us to come near a God who makes mountains tremble should make us hate the thought of giving into its horrible and unwanted presence in our lives.
(Slide 15) In the New Testament, the book of Hebrews tries to help us see that if the Israelites took God seriously at Sinai, we are in an even better position to take God even more seriously. With the cross of Christ in our eyeline, let me read Hebrews 12 v 18-25 to us and as I read it pray for God to fill you with a deep conviction about the privilege we have as a church of drawing near him and a deep determination to live obediently as a result (and if you haven’t come to Jesus for salvation yet then take seriously the terrible warning at the end); Read Hebrews 12 v 18-25.
We are such a blessed people, God loves us so much, and so our response must be to want to live for him. With that conviction in place, God’s people are ready to hear God’s law.
3) The CHARACTER of this relationship with God (20v1-21)
All the way through this series in Exodus, God has been revealing his character to his loved people. (Slide 16) And so it is right that who he is characterises our relationship with him. It is very interesting that the teachers of the law and the rulers like the Pharisees and Sadducees of Jesus’ time used the law in a very harsh way, a bit like the religious police you see in countries under Muslim (Sharia) law. (Slide 17) But when Jesus summarised the precious law of God, when he looked at the Ten commandments, he had to use the category of love; “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbour as yourself. All the law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
(Slide 18) That is how we are to understand this core bit of the bible in Exodus 20. The God of love, lovingly rescuing a people and bringing them into a loving relationship with him, desires that those people live lives of love for him and for others. What does loving God will all of you look like – commandments 1-4 (deal with God and your heart as we go through these);
- No other gods before him (God is the centre of our lives, apart from him we have no good thing, all of his gifts and blessings are to simply focus us in on loving him more and more, all of our hard circumstances are to send us straight to him and nothing else for comfort and help. Is this you at the moment? Repent/Praise God! Love him.)
- No making or bowing down to idols (this is a massive challenge because we find it so much easier to trust what we can see in front of us. But we are to take God at his word, we are to only worship the creator and not created things. Are there idols in your life right now? Repent/Praise God! Love him.)
- No misusing God’s name (this is far more than using his name as a swear word – although that is dishonourable and detestable. The weight of this falls on us calling ourselves his people and then living differently – being hypocrites, lacking integrity. Are there hidden sins in your life right now, are you different at church than in other areas of life? Repent/Praise God! Love him.)
- Remember the Sabbath day (part of loving God is trusting his patterns and rhythms for life. Jesus Christ himself is our sabbath rest and the early church quickly began to meet on Sunday rather than Saturday so keeping the Sabbath the way the Pharisees did is not where this command weighs on us. But labouring for 6 days and resting for 1 is ingrained into God’s good plans for us and so we are to deliberately gather week by week and remember that only in Jesus we have rest from our sin, only in Jesus we have spiritual refreshment that will get us through.
(Slide 19) As God changes us, and as his holy Spirit convicts and empowers us, we will love him more and more and these commands will not be burdensome to us. In fact they will be a delight and will help us to shine brightly and be a huge blessing to the world around as we embody the other 6 commands; honouring our parents and family life, refusing to murder even with hateful thoughts, being faithful in our marriages, refusing to take what isn’t ours, speaking truthfully and hopefully even to the least deserving, staying away from covetousness and envy. In short, as our lives revolve around love for God, individual Christians following Jesus, and whole church families with Jesus at the centre, will live lives that are more and more like Jesus. Godly lives, Christlike lives, lives of love.
Conclusion
In Exodus, we have seen who God is and this is to change us, this is to make us beautiful, this is to get us ready for the day when Jesus will make all things new and our relationship with him will be face-to-face for eternity. Live in relationship to God. Let’s pray.
Today’s sermon Exodus 19-20v21 “Live in relationship with God”
Intro: A relationship that changes a person
1) The CORE NATURE of this relationship with God (19v1-6)
“You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.”
An already loved people are to live as;
- a rescued people
- a treasured possession
- a kingdom of priests
- a holy nation
2) The CONFIDENT but CAREFUL nature of this relationship with God (19v7-25)
It is no small thing to come close to the living God, the people must;
- Be careful (v12)
- Prepare (v15)
- Tremble! (v16 and v18)
- Be warned (v21and23)
Sin must be dealt with if sinners are to be in relationship with God - Hebrews 12 v 18-25 underlines the size of our privilege!
3) The CHARACTER of this relationship with God (20v1-21)
Jesus’ summary of the Law – characterised by LOVE
- Love for God
No other gods before him
No making or bowing down to idols
No misusing God’s name
Remember the Sabbath day
- Love for others
Summary of our series: Know who God is and love him with your life.
Memory verse: Exodus 20v2
“I am the LORD your God who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”
Questions to chew on:
Copyright information: The sermon texts are copyright and are available for personal use only. Sermon media provided by Christ Church Network. If you wish to use them in other ways, please contact us for permission.
