Behold Our God

The kids can leave now for Children's Church and Kids Club if they'd like.

I want to thank leadership of the church for allowing me to come here today, for Pastor Matt, for asking me to fill in.

It's an honor to be here this morning, bringing God's word to you.

We're going to bring the word from Exodus chapter 19.

Exodus 19 · chapter mention

It seems that when a group of people gather together, eventually the conversation flows to things that we're afraid of.

The news is full of stories of violence and natural disasters.

There's mudslides in Nepal and wildfires in the western states and the latest mass shooting.

Have you noticed that?

And even though the Bible has over 365 passages that say fear not, there's one for every day of the year.

We all harbor fears.

And we live in scary times.

There's a lot to be afraid of out there.

Now, for instance, my wife Lori is afraid of spiders.

And I've talked to Frank Lloyd, he's afraid of snakes.

Some of us are afraid of the dark.

Some of us are afraid of driving in the dark.

I used to be afraid of public speaking, then I figured out I was only afraid of audiences.

There's even a university that studies what we fear here in America.

The latest Chapman University data shows that nationwide threats of political instability and safety are concerns that dominate the American psyche.

And I found as I read this research, the percentage of adults stating that they're either afraid or very afraid of the following was exhausting.

For instance, corrupt government officials, 69% of people were scared about that.

Cyberterrorism, 55%, nuclear threats or world wars, 46 to 55% of us.

Widespread civil unrest, 49%.

Loved ones getting sick or dying, 58%.

Running out of money or financial collapse, 58%.

Insufficient retirement savings, 55% of us.

Losing rights or liberties, 43%, or loss of a job, 21%.

It's no wonder we can't sleep at night.

But this morning, I'd like to talk to you about a fear that we should have.

I recently read a story about Aaron, the first high priest of Israel.

And as the story goes, on the Day of Atonement, when Aaron would go into the Holy of Holies to give sacrifice for the sins of the nation of Israel, his sons would tie a rope or a cord around his ankle before he went into the Holy of Holies.

So they could pull his body out should God kill him.

Now this story's a myth.

Sorry.

During my research I found out that it has no basis of fact in any of the ancient texts.

Some folks fear clowns.

This fear of clowns is called churophobia.

That's my daughter, Megan.

46 years ago at the National Asparagus Festival parade in downtown Shelby when Mr.

Clown came by and just picked her up off the sidewalk.

That picture was taken prematurely.

You should have seen her 10 seconds later.

There was a comedy show in the early 90s on Fox, and it was called In Living Color, and it featured a clown character called Homie the Clown.

Now, Homie the Clown was a parolee who could only find work as a clown doing children's parties.

And his signature answer to a request to do clown stuff was, Homie don't play that.

Now, neither the ankle cord thing nor Homie the Clown are real.

But they do illustrate a very valid fact.

And it's today's big idea number one, if you're taking notes.

Big idea number one is this when it comes to sin, God doesn't play.

Now our text comes from Exodus chapter 19.

Exodus 19 · chapter mention

So if you've got your Bibles with you, turn to Exodus chapter 19.

Exodus 19 · chapter mention

And while you're going there, just a little bit of background on Exodus chapter 19.

Exodus 19 · chapter mention

Chapter 19 takes place on a plain at the foot of Mount Sinai, where God has assembled the nation of Israel.

And chapter 19 is called the covenant chapter.

It's where God makes a promise to the nation of Israel that if they'll obey him, he has a promise.

The next chapter, chapter 20, is the big reveal of the Ten Commandments, but chapter 19 is where God reveals himself to the nation of Israel.

In chapter 19, God gives Moses specific instructions on how God's people should act towards him before they have this meeting.

Now we're going to jump around a little bit in Exodus chapter 19.

Exodus 19 · chapter mention

We're going to start in verse 11.

So if you're with me, go to verse 11.

On the third day the Lord will come down to Mount Sinai, and all the people will see me.

You must set boundaries for the people all around, saying, Take heed of yourselves not to go up on the mountains, nor touch its edge, for whoever touches the mountain will surely die.

If this happened today, there would be yellow crying scene tape all around that said, Do not cross.

Because God set boundaries for the nation of Israel.

And those boundaries, they still stand today.

And one of those boundaries was a command to fear God.

In the 1986 sci-fi horror film The Fly, the actress Gina Davis says this famous line: Be afraid.

Be very afraid.

So today I'd like to ask you a very personal question.

Of all the things in life that you fear, do you fear God?

Now, sadly, I think that this passage makes it clear that we live in a day of pitifully shallow concepts of God.

Some of today's contemporary Christian music leaves the impression that God is our buddy.

He's a great pal to have in a pinch.

A film star once said of God, Oh, he's my great big daddy upstairs.

Joan Osborne's 1995 hit song One of Us asked this question.

What if God were just a slob like us?

Hardly a biblical view of God.

King David said in Psalm 34:9, the Lord's holy people should fear and respect him.

Psalms 34:9

Why is it crucial for us to have such a respectful understanding of who God is?

Because a shallow or weak view of God leads to trouble.

We just sang about our God.

We asked these questions.

Who has held the oceans in his hands?

Who has numbered every grain of sand?

Kings and kingdoms tremble at his voice, and all creation rises to rejoice.

And who has given counsel to the Lord?

Who can question any of his words?

Who can teach the one who knows all things, and who can fathom all of his wondrous deeds?

Behold our God, not a slob, not our buddy.

We should never lose sense of awe and wonder for the greatness of our God.

Amen?

Let's go back to the text.

Verses 5 through 7, Exodus 19.

God speaking, so now I tell you to obey my commands and keep my agreement.

Then you'll be a special nation, a kingdom of priests.

So Moses, you must tell the Israelites what I've said.

So Moses came and summoned the elders of Israel, and he set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him.

And all the people said together, All that the Lord has commanded, we will do.

And it wasn't very many chapters later that they'd completely forgotten everything that God had said.

Which brings us to our second big idea, if you're taking notes.

We have one directive, and that's to do God's will.

The Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5 11, we know that the Lord will judge us, so we are careful to obey him.

God tells us Himself in the book of Proverbs, Proverbs 3 1, do not forget what I teach you.

Always think carefully about my commands.

If you obey them, you will live a long life.

You'll have peace in your mind and you will enjoy your life.

King Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, wrote this in Ecclesiastes chapter 12.

Ecclesiastes 12 · chapter mention

Now all has been heard.

Here's the conclusion of the matter: fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.

And when you come to that understanding, our fear of God should compel us to obey his will and thoroughly hate and dread our sin.

Now this fear business sounds kind of harsh, doesn't it?

Oh, it is.

And we don't like it.

Culture doesn't like or want harsh.

Culture rebels against harsh.

Culture strikes out against harsh.

Culture shrinks in horror of a concept of a God to be feared.

Culture today, if it even acknowledges God, wants a godly teddy bear.

Culture wants a God that's all-inclusive, ever-tolerant, our understanding buddy, our ever-available heavenly door dash guy.

Friends, don't be deceived.

God will not be mocked.

Now I was raised in an old school Baptist church.

You know, the kind of church that takes the fun out of fundamentalist.

And our pastor was a big Swede named Ken Colmaden, and he preached a healthy fear of God.

And as a preteen, I feared God.

Well, and my mom, but that's a whole different story altogether.

So I'll ask you again: do you fear God?

What does your God look like?

How does your God act?

Now we all have an image in our mind of what God is like.

Some Eastern traditions like Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism believe that God or ultimate reality may be seen less as a person and more as an infinite, all-encompassing spirit or cosmic order flowing through all living things and the universe itself.

Be honest.

Does that sound like the God of Mount Sinai?

The text teaches us to have a reverential and healthy fear of the Lord.

So let's go back to our text, Exodus chapter 19, verses 16 through 19, and you'll see what I mean.

Exodus 19:16–19

On the morning of the third day, thunder roared and lightning flashed, and a dense cloud came down on the mountain.

There was a long, loud blast from a ram's horn, and all the people trembled.

Moses led them out from the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain, and all of Mount Sinai was covered with smoke because the Lord had descended on it in the form of fire.

The smoke billowed into the sky like smoke from a brick kiln, and the whole mountain shook violently.

As the blast of the ram's horn grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God thundered his reply.

Now, if you live in an area that has earthquakes, you might feel a little ripple now and then.

Get a funny feeling, but then life returns.

When our son Jack was attending Purdue University in Lafayette, Indiana, he was in the shower one morning when the area experienced an earthquake.

He said he had to hold the sides of the shower wall to keep from falling down.

According to an article in the Detroit Free Press, Pentwater experienced an earthquake recently.

A small earthquake, 2.9 magnitude on the Richter scale, struck below Lake Michigan off the coast of a Chicago suburb on Wednesday, July the 8th, 2026.

The U.S.

Geological Survey said the earthquake was recorded 12 miles northeast off the shoreline of Chicago near Kenilworth at approximately 2.38 p.m.

The federal agency said it struck at a depth of 3.1 miles, and most of us had no idea there'd been an earthquake until we saw it on the news.

Because earthquakes here are rare.

But rarer still.

Now, if you were Moses, who I'm sure was face down in the dirt, what would you do now?

Could you climb up Mount Sinai, maybe on your hands and knees?

Could you even move at all?

Remember, Moses had stood before God before, when God appeared in the form of a flaming bush.

But that was nothing compared to this.

The writer of Hebrews says in Hebrews 12, 21, so terrible was the sight that Moses said, I am full of fear and trembling.

And then God speaks to Moses.

Are you with me in Exodus chapter 19?

Exodus 19 · chapter mention

Verse 3.

Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, Thus you will tell the house of Jacob, and declare to the people of Israel, you yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt and how I lifted you on eagle's wings.

God begins chapter 19 with a passage reminding the people of all the things that they'd seen him do in Egypt.

Well, what just what did God do in Egypt?

I'm glad you asked.

He sent ten plagues to torment the Egyptians.

That included blood.

Oh, lots of blood.

Nasty bugs, frogs, boils on people's skin, hail to kill crops, and disease to kill cattle, and Moses was there.

He sent killer angels to Egypt on the night of Passover.

They killed Pharaoh's son, and Moses was there.

He drowned the entire Egyptian army in the Red Sea and Moses was there.

You see, this is the God that Moses was to remind the people of.

Listen to the words of Jehoshaphat, who told prospective judges in Israel in 2 Chronicles 19, now let the fear of the Lord be on you.

You must serve faithfully and wholeheartedly in fear of the Lord.

And he gave them these orders.

You must serve faithfully and wholeheartedly in fear of the Lord.

Remember that same God who shakes mountains and drowns armies, who stops the sun from moving in the sky, who sends killer angels to terrify a Pharaoh, is the same God that hates my sin and your sin today.

The same God who punishes my sin and your sins today.

This is the same God who hit the reset button on mankind and sent a flood in Genesis chapter 6.

Genesis 6 · chapter mention

That God.

Yeah, that God.

Remember at the beginning of our text that God set boundaries?

Violating those boundaries is called sin.

And here's some truth.

God wants nothing but the best for us.

But it hurts God when we rebel against him.

And that rebellion is called sin.

The Apostle Paul told us that it's possible to bring grief to God.

Ephesians 4 30.

Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Remember, our God is a triune God.

He's fully God the Father, fully God the Son, and fully God the Holy Spirit.

When we grieve the Holy Spirit, we grieve God.

Spurgeon wrote, No man more truly loves God than he that is most fearful to offend him.

The late Reverend Vadi Balcom said, It amazes me that we believe that this God, that God would crush and kill his own son and let you slide.

Though he should have killed me by the thoughts and sin that I did yesterday, yet by his grace he's allowed me to live.

See, the Reverend Balcom understands Romans 6.23 that says the wages of sin is death.

The psalmist expressed that thought with these words in Psalm 119.

How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth.

I gain understanding from your precepts, therefore I hate every wrong path.

So, like King David, do you hate it when you sin?

Does it bug you until you get right with God and confess your sin?

Our men's Bible study focused on King David this fall or this summer.

We read that King David wrote in Psalm 51, For I know my transgressions and my sin is always before me.

Against you and against you only have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight.

Are you even conscious of your sin?

Do you even give your sins a second thought?

You do understand, don't you, that God doesn't play when it comes to sin.

Now, any born-again person who sins willfully has momentarily blocked out any fear of God.

And you and I can do that.

We lie to ourselves by saying, ah, we'll get by.

God won't mind that too much.

He'll wink and give me a nod and he'll give me a pass.

Seriously?

Are we so arrogant that we think that God will just ignore outright rebellion against his sovereign will?

James, the brother of Jesus, teaches us that even the demons believe in God and they tremble at his sight.

There you have it.

Even the devils fear God.

This reverential fear of God isn't just taught in the Old Testament.

The Apostle Paul wrote in Galatians chapter 6, starting in verse 7: don't be deceived, God will not be mocked.

Galatians 6 · chapter mention

You harvest what you plant.

If you live to satisfy your sinful self, the harvest you will get from that will be eternal death.

But if you live to please the Spirit, you harvest from the Spirit life, eternal life.

But the Apostle Paul doesn't shrink away from the wages of sin in Romans 8, verses 6 and 7.

Romans 8:6

If your thinking is controlled by your sinful self, there is spiritual death.

But if your thinking is controlled by the Spirit, There's life and peace.

So why is this true?

Well, because anyone whose thinking is controlled by their sinful self is against God.

They refuse to obey God's law, and really they're not able to obey it.

Those who are ruled by their sinful selves simply cannot please God.

The God to be held in reverential fear of the Old Testament is the same God to be feared today.

Now, if you did what I did and Google fear of the Lord, this is what you get from AI.

In a spiritual or theological context, fearing the Lord is often understood as a deep reverence, awe, and respect for God's majesty rather than being terrified.

Don't buy the AI lie.

Let's get to the bottom of this fear of God thing.

Let's go to the ultimate authority.

Jesus said this in Luke 12, 5.

I say to you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that can do no more.

But I will warn you whom you shall fear.

Fear him, who after he has killed, has the power to cast into hell.

Yes, I say, fear him.

Now there's a concept you don't hear preached very often.

Hell.

Eternal death.

Spiritual death.

Some of us don't want to hear about a God who would send someone to hell.

Preachers stand in pulpits and say that they're God.

Because after all, God is love, right?

Well, yes.

Yes, he is.

Which brings us to big idea number three.

We don't have to bear the burden of our sins.

As a believer, how do I respond to this God?

The prophet wrote in Isaiah 57, God is high and lifted up.

He lives forever.

His name is holy.

He says, I live in a high and holy place, but I also live with people who are humble and sorry for their sins.

And I'll give new life to those who are humble in spirit.

I'll give new life to those who are sorry for their sins.

I will not accuse my people forever, and I will not always be angry.

He also wrote in Isaiah 64, you welcome people who enjoy doing good and who remember you by living the way you want them to.

But we sinned against you and you became angry with us, but you always saved us.

You see, when we have a proper fear of the living God, we live a humble and repentive life that is aware of others.

Proverbs 9:10 tells us the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of life and the holy one is understanding.

Proverbs 9:10

Like King David, when we have a proper fear of the living God, we're sorry for our sins.

The prophet Joel wrote in Joel chapter 1, Cry and mourn, don't eat anything.

Joel 1 · chapter mention

Show that you are sad for doing wrong.

Tear your hearts and not your clothes.

And while speaking on the Sermon of the Mount, Jesus said, Blessed are those who mourn.

He meant that we should mourn and grieve our sins.

He wasn't talking about mourning the loss of a loved one.

He was telling us that our sins are grievous and to be mourned over.

King David said this.

He asked God to have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love, according to your great compassion, blot out my transgressions, wash away all my iniquities, cleanse me from my sin.

Because my sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit.

Like King David, when we realize the consequences of our sin, all we can do is beg for mercy.

But fortunate for us, our God is a God of mercy who hears our cries.

When we realize that our holy God really is a loving God, He's a merciful God, our response should be thankful.

Psalm 100, I love King David's writing.

Earth, sing to the Lord, be happy as you serve the Lord.

Come before him with happy songs.

Know that the Lord is God, he made us, and we belong to him.

We are his people, the sheep that he takes care of.

Come through the gates of his temple and give thanks to him.

Enter the courtyards with songs of praise.

Honor him and bless his name.

The Lord is good.

There is no end to his faithful love.

We can trust him forever and ever.

David brings up three points in that passage concerning the character of our God.

Fact number one, he's God and He's good.

David says, Know that the Lord is God, He made us and we belong to Him.

We are His people, His sheep, and He takes care of us.

King David also said, The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

James 1 17, every good and perfect gift is from where?

From above.

Coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

Fact number two from this passage God's faithful love is everlasting.

There's no end to his faithful kindness.

We can trust him forever and ever, as King David says.

This idea of faithful kindness is the Hebrew word chesed.

Now, chesed is perhaps the most important word in the entire Old Testament because it effectively sums up the character of God.

Chesed is the Bible's filled with wonderful moving stories that show Chesed in action.

I think of Ruth's extraordinary loyalty for her mother-in-law Naomi, or the story of the Good Samaritan, or the shepherd who leaves the 99 to rescue the one.

Of course, we have no greater example of Chesed love and kindness than God Himself, who demonstrated his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, he sent Christ to die for us.

It serves us well to remember that our God sets boundaries.

Our holy God draws a line in the sand when it comes to sin.

And God's hatred of sin produces wrath.

The Bible teaches that we can do nothing apart from God to escape that wrath, and God's wrath will be satisfied.

The Bible teaches that all of us have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

How about some good news to end disservice today?

Big idea number four.

Because he loves us, God made a way for us to escape his wrath by sending Jesus.

The Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians chapter 5, God's message is this.

2 Corinthians 5 · chapter mention

By Christ's death, God has bringing people of the world back to himself as his friends.

He could no longer keep their sins on his thoughts.

And this is the message that God wants to tell all people.

King David captured it in the Psalms in Psalm 103.

For people who fear him, his faithful love is very great.

How far is the sky above the earth?

His love is greater than that.

How far is the east from the west?

Well, the Lord has taken our sins farther away than that.

He no longer says that we are guilty.

And as a father is kind to his children, the Lord is kind to us.

He's kind to the people who fear him.

God did not choose us to suffer his wrath.

God chose us to have salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Or John 3.16, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him will not perish, but have everlasting life.

And then the verse we never remember God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but that through him the world might be saved.

John 3, 7, 18.

This morning we sang a song.

It's one of my favorites.

It's entitled In Christ Alone.

Till on that cross, as Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied.

For every sin on him was laid.

Here in the death of Christ, I live.

This friends is the good news.

This is the gospel.

Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 5, you see, just at the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.

Now, very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, but for a good person, somebody might possibly dare to die, but God demonstrates his own love for us while we were yet sinners.

Christ died for us.

So what should our response be to this good news?

How about this?

Take out the trash of your sins and come to Jesus.

See, if you don't know Jesus personally, then pay attention here.

The scripture says, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you'll be saved.

It also says if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you'll be saved.

Now maybe someone here is a skeptic, and this sounds a little bit too easy.

Or just maybe you're too ashamed to confess your failures.

Here's the truth the longer you postpone matters and bottle up your guilt, the more difficult it will become to make your confession and the more unhappy your life will be.

So there's still time, yet today, because the Bible says tomorrow is promised to who?

No one.

The Apostle Paul or Peter wrote this in 2 Peter 3:9.

2 Peter 3:9

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise as we understand slowness.

Instead, he's patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

God already knows everything about you, including your weaknesses, your addictions, and your shortcomings.

Despite this, he still loves you and he always will.

So take the mess of your life and lay it at the foot of the cross.

God sent Jesus to haul it away, and he even paid the dump fee.

Won't you put this stuff aside and come to Jesus today?

I'm gonna close in prayer.

Then we're gonna have a song that we're gonna close with.

And there will be a couple folks down here in the front, our prayer partners.

If you'd like to know more about this message, or you've got a question, or you just got a prayer request on your heart that you just need God to hear, you come down and share with our prayer partners and they'll pray with you.

Let's close in prayer.

Father God, we'll thank you for this day that you sent us.

Thank you for this place that we can come to, Father, to fellowship together, to hear your word.

Don't let us leave here, Father, without a proper understanding and fear of your holiness.

For Father, we know that you are a holy God and cannot abide sin.

But you didn't leave us hanging, Father.

You provided a way for us to be forgiven and cleansed from our sins.

Thank you.

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for bringing us salvation.

We'll ask all these things in Jesus' name.

Amen.

I'll give great things to be done.

We thank you for that reality in Jesus' name.

Amen.