An Invitation to Holiness: The Covenant Love of God - Saved for the Glory of God | Studies in the book of Exodus

I'm sure, like me, you've grown up with an understanding that

when you're going to visit someone important, you get dressed

up.

Many of us here remember a time when people travelled on an

airplane, even for their holidays, and men would wear a suit

suit and ladies would wear dresses.

That was the standard of air travel back 30, 40, 50 years ago.

And of course, within the context of the church, go back 35

to 40 years, and children got a new outfit for Children's Day every

year, and that was the fanciest thing you would wear for

that following year.

The adult equivalent would be a wedding.

A new suit or dress would be bought, and those were the good clothes

that would then be worn to church or other special occasions.

And I remember it being told to me in early days that the example

would always be given.

Well, if you were going to visit the Queen of England, you dress

in your finest.

And so whenever a friend of ours who's a Church of Scotland minister,

was invited to spend a weekend with the Queen at Balmoral, as happens

every summer and still today to the King as the minister for the

weekend, we found something very different.

That when you want to spend personal time with the Queen of Scotland,

as she would be in Balmoral, you were told not to bring fancy

clothes.

She would take you out, our friend told us, in a Land Rover,

and you simply had to wear boots, jeans and a polo shirt, because

she would be racing along the roads of Balmoral and you never knew

where she would stop and what you'd have to do when you'd get out.

The only requirement for dress was whenever the minister would be

conducting worship at Crathy Kirk on the Sunday morning.

So to spend time with the Queen of Scotland as she would have

been then, you didn't have to dress up.

You simply came as you were and she received you.

Now, we do live in different times, and perhaps the amount of

money available for the fancy clothes that I mentioned just a moment

ago was limited 35 or 40 years.

And the fact that a lot of our clothing is now comparatively cheaper

than a few decades ago means that we can now have more and more

clothes and thunder fancier clothes than we did.

But we understand that we need really two sets of clothes.

We need clothes for everyday life, for work and everything else,

and we need clothes for those occasions where we need to look smarter.

We understand a sense of occasion that requires us to wear

clothes that we ordinarily wouldn't wear day to day.

Now, Exodus 19 isn't about wearing clothes, nor is it about

the argument about what clothes to wear and when.

But what it is about is a sense of occasion.

And the people of Israel need to step up or rise to that occasion.

And so the opening verses helpfully remind us of where the

children of Israel are.

It's been three months since they left Egypt and they entered

the desert of Sinai.

They now camp in front of Mount Sinai, a mountain that they

cannot ignore because of its size.

And they're also here being far enough away from Egypt so they

actually can take time to catch their breath and to rest.

I don't think many of us realize this, that chapter 19 of

Exodus begins at one year account of their time at Sinai and

throughout the rest of this book.

And as far as numbers chapter 10, they are here at the mountain

Numbers 10 · chapter mention

of God.

This is unusual for the Old Testament.

The Old Testament does not cover the period of a year, not just

in so many chapters, but in quite literally, effectively two

books of the Bible.

And so the 52 weeks that they spend at Mount Sinai are important

ones because it's going to be here that they are for formed as

a people and as a nation, community of God.

And this chapter presents two things to the people.

The first, between verses three to eight, present the people

the Lord's invitation.

The second thing then presented to the people in the rest

of the chapter is the Lord's requirement of holiness.

And so we begin with the first half, which is the Lord's invitation.

Moses is called up to meet with God.

He's to transcend the mountain.

And we've seen this before, that he goes before God on behalf

of the people to bring them back a message.

And they're first to remember what God has done for them.

Verse 4 reminds them of what they have experienced, what they've

seen as God rescued them from Egypt.

Here it's described to us as having God carrying them on eagle's

wings.

And this is a phrase that will be used again in the Old Testament

and communicates that they have come swiftly and safely to the

Lord's presence at Sinai.

Well, the invitation that the Lord wants to give his people comes

in verse five.

And I don't think this is making its way to the screen, so

you'll just have to follow along if you have your Bible there.

So verse 5 says, now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant,

then out of all nations, you will be my treasured possession.

The Lord is inviting them to be this wonderful phrase, his treasured

possession, possession.

God invites them into a covenant relationship.

And in that he describes their obligations as well as his obligations,

the people are already in a relationship with him.

And that goes back as far as the covenant with Abraham.

So what God is presenting here by way of what we call the Sinai

covenant does not replace what was given to Abraham, but it now

applies to the Israelites, a nation, not just to one person and

their family, but now to the whole nation.

And so God has already redeemed them from slavery and from

evil, and they did nothing of themselves to do this.

So this covenant is like a king who rescues a helpless people

and invites them to become his loyal subjects, with all the responsibilities

and benefits that such an invitation gives them.

The people will need to listen to the king.

That's what's here at the start of verse five.

But the king himself guarantees his ongoing care for them

at the end of the verse.

And the Lord makes it clear that this is an invitation for the

children of Israel, only this is not far and wide.

This is just for them.

Because he goes on to say at the end of verse five and into verse

six, although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom

of priests and a holy nation.

These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.

Now we get the sense in this verse that the Lord has looked across

the earth and found no other people group with him whom he could

establish his covenants.

And they accept, and they will be a nation who worships him, as

they know his great love of salvation towards them.

And it's later on in Scripture, in Deuteronomy, chapter

seven, that we get a greater understanding of what all of this

means, because we are told In Deuteronomy, chapter 7 and verses

Deuteronomy 7 · chapter mention

7 to 8, the Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you

because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were

the fewest of all peoples.

But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore

to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand

and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the parents of Pharaoh,

king of Egypt.

It is truly amazing that through his great love, the Lord

remains with his rebellious people because of his love for them

and his promise to their forefathers.

And it is into this invitation that they must respond.

And as Moses goes back down the mountain to the children of Israel,

they agree positively and they commit themselves to the Lord.

And they affirm in verse eight, we will do everything the

Lord has said.

This is their affirmation.

Whatever God says, we will do.

We understand what this covenant is.

We understand our obligation to Him.

But we know his great promises to us.

And so Moses brought their answer back to the Lord.

Now this is what we would hope and expect them to do after everything

the Lord has done for them.

He has provided a way of salvation for them and he invites

them to love him in return.

And it's a wonderful invitation, and it's such an invitation

that still exists today.

Only the salvation God brought about to redeem people is not rescue

from Egypt and passage through the mighty waters of the Red Sea.

The invitation is to come to him because he has given us his one

and only Son, so that we can know true salvation for all eternity.

Let's remind ourselves of what this gospel truth is as we read it

in John chapter 3 and verse 16.

John 3 · chapter mention

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,

that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal

life.

Now, we're very familiar with this verse.

We see this verse up and down the country on the back of buses,

and as I've told you before, even the country rural roads of South

Armagh where it was cut into a hedge.

Just the reference, John 3.

And so just as God spoke of his love and he demonstrated it to

the children of Egypt or the children of Israel at Sinai, so today

we have his love demonstrated to us in Jesus Christ.

And the invitation is to have Christ only as our Savior.

And with this comes responsibilities, but it also comes

with benefits.

To receive the invitation of Christ is to know him only as Savior.

This means that we don't trust in our own merits or in our own intelligence.

It means we don't go after the pleasures of this world that only

want to pull us away from the salvation of God.

And when we do respond positively to the invitation of Christ,

then we are guaranteed eternal life, his presence in heaven forever.

And there's no other way to be sure of a heavenly home.

It is only through Christ.

The last Sunday in June in many ways marks the end of a year

of ministry and a year of teaching.

And today we will pause our studies in Exodus that we began in

September and we'll probably pick them up in a few years time.

But as we've gone through this book of the Old Testament each week

we have heard how great God is to his people and how he rescues

and how he saves them.

And the challenge has gone out from this pulpit to respond likewise.

And no passage so far in this book is as clear to this call to

respond to Christ as this one.

So why not respond to this today?

It's what Jesus invites us to do in Matthew 11:28, come to me.

Matthew 11:28

Jesus says, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give

you rest.

In other words, Jesus says, I will give you eternal rest.

I will give you salvation.

Just as he did to the children of Israel at Sinai.

So he still offers.

Today we're invited to come to know Jesus and to know his salvation.

So why not respond to him today?

What's your excuse?

What's your reason?

Because I can guarantee whatever answer you would give if

it was in the negative.

You know as well as I know it's no excuse or reason at all.

In your mind, it's only convenience to stay the way you are

rather than accept the truth that is presented to us in Scripture.

You see, to respond to Jesus means that we must be intentional

about living.

For him to respond to Jesus means we place him above everything

else in our lives so that we can be sure of his great salvation.

And there will be much about this in the chapters to come.

But in chapter 19, we get our first understanding of what it means

to be his people and what is his requirements of holiness.

And this takes us into the second.

So as much as there is an invitation to come to Jesus to respond

to him today, and by the way, no excuse not to is ever good enough.

So we have to know what is his requirement of us.

His invitation of salvation is what he gives to us, but what is

our responsibility?

And so with the time that we have left, we're quickly going to

look what we're told with the people's positive response.

Moses returns to the Lord and is told that the Lord is coming or

is going to come down the mountain.

Now, this will mean that certain procedures will have to be

followed, because the truth that we must know is that God is

holy and God is pure, and no human, because of their sin, can

look upon him or touch him, or be in his presence as he truly is.

So the first thing we're told in verse nine is that he will come

in a dense cloud.

It was amazing how quickly the other day the sea fog just rolled

in from what was sunny weather till we could barely see anything

in front of us on Friday afternoon and evening.

And then, of course, as quickly as it came, it disappeared.

But imagine that cloud coming down and imagine it being thicker

so that you can't see, because the Lord will come in a way in the

dense cloud that will protect Moses and the people so that they

can't look upon him, because they cannot look upon him and live.

And from the cloud will come A voice.

And this voice is important because the Lord said to Moses in

verse nine, I'm going to come down to you in a dense cloud so that

the people will hear me speaking with you and will always

put their trust in you.

So there's going to be an active display here of who the Lord

has chosen to be his representative to the people.

And the people are not to question it, because the people will

hear the Lord speak to Moses and know that they are to follow

what he says, because what he has given comes straight from the

Lord.

And here's what Moses is told in verse 10.

The people are to prepare themselves for this moment, and this

comes in the word of consecration.

They are to consecrate themselves.

They're to cleanse themselves of ritual impurity.

Now, God's laws describes three basic states.

Impurity, purity, and holiness.

Impurity, purity, and holiness.

And most importantly, ritual impurity is never to come into contact

with ritual holiness.

And since the Lord is the ultimate expression of holiness,

those coming before him must cleanse themselves of ritual impurity.

So to use a modern example would be a doctor does not walk into

an operating room unless he or she has disinfected themselves and

is wearing all the appropriate clothing to.

To conduct that operation or procedure in a sterile environment

so that infection does not take over the body.

So Moses is to consecrate the people likewise by having them go

through typical activities for cleansing and for avoiding ritual

impurity.

So letting time pass, we're told it's going to be in three days.

They're to wash their clothes, a natural symbol of cleansing.

They're to avoid sexual contact, since those kind of relations

would result in ritual impurity.

And it shouldn't be difficult for the Israelites to realize that

if the Lord requires their ritual purity, how much more does

he likewise require their moral purity?

And so, as the people responded positively to the Lord's

gracious covenant invitation, so they dutifully follow his requirements.

And on the morning of the third day, the Lord makes his presence

known on the mountain.

The people go so far, and no more, to the foot of the mountain,

and they wait.

Verses 20 and 22 give us a repeat of the instructions that have

already been given.

And the people aren't to force their way through to see God as if

they could.

This is not a spectacle for them.

This is the presence of God coming near.

And a word is spoken about the priests.

They mustn't think, because of their position, that they have more

access to God than other people.

And so they are warned not to make a move beyond what God has said,

thinking that their position would allow them to.

And so the stage is now set for Moses and Aaron to receive from

God his commandments for the people as he establishes them as

a nation and directs them how they are to worship Him.

If you have your Bible open, just cast your eye down and you will

see that in chapter 20 of Exodus, we come to the Ten Commandments.

And that's where we'll pick this up in a year or two's time.

Now we're reading requirements from God.

They've come from him, they haven't come from man.

And as we read them and what he says to the people here at Sinai,

we might perceive them to be a little over the top.

But there's a key principle here for those who profess Christ

as Savior, who want to have a relationship with the Lord that these

children of Israel are invited to have.

But now that we can have through the same invitation, but

through Christ.

The truth is, God is holy.

And so as such, his people must approach him properly.

That's why Peter says what he does in First Peter, chapter one

and verses 15 and 16, quoting truths from passages in Leviticus

and from Exodus, Peter says, but just as he who called you is

holy, so be holy in all you do.

For it is written, be holy because I am holy.

Now, it is very easy to say we are Christians, but we treat it as

a label without having much meaning.

We use it because it's convenient and it's seen as an acceptable

thing to say.

But there are responsibilities to being his people.

There are responsibilities to being Christians.

You can't just say you're a Christian and then not live by his

standard.

R.C.

Sproul writes in his book the Holiness of God.

This is a fantastic phrase, that sin is cosmic treason.

Sin is cosmic treason.

Now, we know there's a day coming up in July, I think it's the

fourth of July, that the Americans like to call American Independence

Day.

For those of us on this island, we like to call it Treason

Day, because that's the day they threw the tea into the sea and

it made it undrinkable even for Americans.

So we on these British Isles know what treason is when countries

reject the rule of the British Crown.

But how much more is sin cosmic treason?

Against God, defying him, rebelling against him, thinking we

know better?

And we often treat sin lightly because we measure it against ourselves

or against the standards of the world.

But holiness means measuring ourselves against God.

Every act of disobedience is not merely breaking a rule, but rebelling

against the King who has called us to be his people.

If this is how you're living, then the question in reality is if

you are truly saved.

Because the Lord requires us to be holy as he is holy, and to

live holy as God is holy requires separating ourselves from

those sinful passions that characterized our lives before we

came to know Christ.

It means distancing ourselves from the lifestyle that used to dominate

our existence.

It means cutting ourselves off from whatever will desensitize us

to sin or blur our spiritual vision or stir up our sinful nature.

If we claim the name of Christ on our lives, then we must live as

he did.

We will not be perfect, certainly not.

And we will fall into sin.

But God's grace is enough if we are sincere in our desire to live

for him each day.

The invitation of the Lord and His requirement for holy living is

demonstration of his goodness to us and a guarantee for us of eternal

life.

And our appropriate response is to follow him, just as the disciples

did and every follower of Jesus has done ever since.

And you know, maybe we like the idea of the invitation, but in

reality we find it hard to live holy lives because the devil

keeps presenting temptation upon temptation upon us.

Well, know this day that the Lord is enough for you.

Look to him alone, hide his word in your heart, and take comfort

in how he instructs and teaches you each day.

Paul tells us in 2nd Corinthians 12:9 that we all need

to know this, that Christ is all we need for this day.

As he quotes Jesus as he says it said to him, my grace is sufficient

for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.

So why not respond this day to Jesus?

Why not come to him with his gracious invitation?

And maybe you think you can't do it.

Maybe you think it's too much.

Maybe you think the sin is too heavy.

And if you're a believer, maybe you think that sin at the moment

is weighty upon you.

Well, trust the words of Jesus that His grace and his grace alone

is sufficient for you.

For it is his power that is made perfect in our weaknesses when

we look to Him.

The Lord's invitation is to come to Jesus.

And the Lord's requirement of us is holiness.

Not that we will ever be truly holy or perfect, but that indeed

we will know we are truly saved for his glory and his glory

alone.

And that we will enjoy all of the benefits and the guarantees that

this new covenant through the blood of Jesus gives us as we look

ever to Christ.

So May you fix your eyes on him and none other this day and respond

to him in a way that is appropriate so that you will live

for him truly.

Let's pray.

Our Father, God, this day we thank you.

We thank you for your goodness to us in your word.

We thank you for what it teaches us.

We thank you for how it challenges us.

And so we ask that you would forgive us for whenever we have allowed

other things to distract us, to take us away from what is right

and what is the most important living relationship with Jesus Christ.

So, Father, today may we respond well to the invitation, but

maybe also respond well to your requirement of holiness to us.

Thank you.

That we don't do it in our own strength, but that as we look to

Christ, so it is his strength that carries us through.

So for our weary and burdened souls, souls that are heavy with

guilt and regret, souls that are questioning if this salvation

is really worth it.

Father, convince us and convict us through your word and

by your Holy Spirit, that indeed life with Christ is better

than anything we can know.

So may we come onto Christ this day and know him truly as our

Savior.

And it's in his name we pray.

Amen.