Rev. David Holwick ZB Exodus series, #10
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
September 6, 2009
Exodus 19:2-22
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I. Drama when you least expect it.
A. Art imitates reality.
In 2006, the Edgewater Hotel and Waterpark in Duluth, Minnesota,
reopened after a year-long $20 million makeover.
It was a pretty fancy water park, with everything under a roof.
In the middle of the swimming complex was a 20-foot plastic
volcano.
In March 2007 the volcano imitated the real thing.
Black smoke poured from the top.
Flames shot into the sky.
Melting plastic flowed down the sides.
It wasn't supposed to operate like this - a speaker wire had
short-circuited.
Terrorized people in bare feet and swimming suits fled into the
parking lot as firefighters moved in to battle the flames.
To calm everyone down, the hotel delivered free ice cream to
every room.
#34736
B. The Israelites also got more than they expected.
1) The Jews have moved through the wilderness to a mountain.
a) Several places have been proposed and none of them
are certain.
b) The traditional location, Gebel Musa, or Mountain of
Moses, is the most likely.
1> It has imposing granite formations and rises to
7,300 feet.
2> It has a wide flat area at its base, perfect for a
large assembly of people.
3> At the base of this mountain, wild stuff happens.
2) It is not drama for drama's sake, but the consequences
of encountering God.
a) God has important issues to settle with them.
b) He wanted them to remember them.
C. How much drama has been in your life?
1) Many have had exciting, even fearful, events happen to them.
a) Car accidents, fires, war.
b) Of course, some of you have had very boring lives
(you should be thankful!)
2) Have any of these dramatic events related to the Lord?
a) Not very likely, though some of you have had interesting
answers to prayer, or unusual occurrences.
b) What would it be like to meet God face to face?
c) Would it change you?
II. It all has to do with a contract.
A. The drama of Exodus 19 has a serious purpose.
1) God is entering into a covenant with his people.
a) There have been other covenants - with Adam, with Noah,
with Abraham.
2) The covenant at Sinai is the pinnacle of the Old Testament.
a) The Ten Commandments, which follow in chapter 20,
are just part of the framework of this covenant.
B. The covenant follows an ancient format.
1) Most of the nations in the middle east used covenants,
often between a king and his underlings.
2) Scholars have found that the covenants changed over the
years.
a) This covenant follows the pattern that was used
in the second millennium before Christ.
b) (If it had been made up as a later fiction, as many
scholars maintain, the writers probably would have
used a newer format.)
C. Features of the covenant:
1) Preamble - God summons Moses. 19:3
2) Historical overview. 19:4
a) God's deliverance is compared to the care
of a mother eagle (or vulture), who carries her
offspring on her wings to teach them to fly.
(I didn't know this until I studied the passage)
3) Stipulations. 19:5
a) There are conditions: the people must obey.
4) Blessings. 19:5-6
a) They will be God's favorite nation.
b) Israel will be a kingdom of priests, a holy nation.
1> Their relationship with God will be special.
5) Ratification. 19:7-8
a) Moses conveys it to the leaders.
b) All the people assemble to ratify it. 19:8
III. Preparing to meet God.
A. Moses is commanded to consecrate the people.
1) Consecration means to be set apart as sacred, usable by God.
2) In the Old Testament, you don't just barge in on God.
a) You had to follow restrictions.
b) You had to do special ceremonies.
c) It was a very serious thing to approach God.
3) Some still do this today.
a) At our earlier service, Tsega did not take communion.
She said it was because of her Ethiopian Orthodox
heritage.
When an Ethiopian takes communion, they start preparing
on Saturday.
They abstain from certain foods.
They wash themselves ceremonially and put on special
clothes.
After they have communion, they are silent the rest of
the day.
You cannot talk to people after church, or yell at your
kids in the afternoon.
Since Tsega didn't take communion today, I figure her
kids are really in for it...
b) The Jews were more like the Ethiopians than like us.
B. The rules of consecration at Sinai.
1) Wash clothes. 19:10
2) Observe limits around mountain. 19:12
a) Sort of like the yellow tape police use today.
b) Violation brings immediate execution.
3) Abstain from sex. 19:15
a) Some say it is because they considered sex to be dirty.
b) It could be because they were to conserve their energy
and keep a total focus on God.
IV. God appears, big time.
A. It was more stupendous than a waterpark volcano.
1) Some have noted that Mt. Sinai is not volcanic.
a) It didn't have to be - God provides the fireworks.
2) Fire, smoke, shaking, roaring.
a) The people realized they were in the presence of
something greater than themselves.
b) Theologians call it a THEOPHANY, a God appearance.
B. There were some limitations. 19:19
1) According to Deut. 4:12, the people saw fire and light
but did not see God's form, which was forbidden. 19:21
a) However, they heard his words.
2) Only Moses got the total experience.
V. Things are different now.
A. We prepare less for God.
1) How did you do to get ready for worship today?
a) Perhaps you took a shower.
b) Perhaps you put on clean clothes, extra nice ones.
c) Maybe you crawled out of bed, put on what you wore
while mowing the lawn yesterday and dragged yourself
here.
2) We don't put much effort into our faith.
a) Preparation for a church service is mostly superficial
stuff - genuine consecration goes much deeper.
b) Faith doesn't take up much of our time for most people.
c) It doesn't limit our behavior that much.
d) As a result, our faith has little impact on us, and
we have little impact on the world.
B. We expect less of God.
1) We don't expect God to be dramatic, ever.
a) God is way up there, and he tends to stay there.
b) Philip Yancey says there is a valid reason for this.
I have told you before how Yancey once locked
himself in a Colorado cabin so he could read
straight through the entire Bible.
He noticed that the Old Testament tends to have more
dramatic encounters with God.
But the encounters didn't really change people.
A short time after the theopany of Exodus 19, the Jews
had a wild party with lots of carousing.
They did the same thing at the end of their wilderness
wanderings, even after all the care God had given
them.
They got their socks knocked off by God, then went
back to living like they always had.
In the New Testament, God is more subtle.
Yes, there are miracles, but God appears in the form
of a man rather than a lightning storm.
Instead of drama, God opted for a focus on
relationship.
We daily put our trust in our Savior and walk quietly
with a God we cannot see. [1]
2) God will be dramatic again.
a) Just because God is subtle now, doesn't mean he will
always be this way.
b) The Second Coming of Jesus is described in words much
like Exodus 19.
1> The Book of Revelation is filled with dramatic
appearances by God.
2> Each of the seven judgments is accompanied by the
fire and smoke and shaking.
3> But most people then will hide from it rather than
embrace it.
4> If you don't seek it now, you probably won't then.
VI. It is time to take God seriously.
A. We should be glad he does not come with fire.
1) If he did, would we be able to stand?
2) Hebrews 10:31 says,
"It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the
living God."
3) What would shame you if you were in the presence of God
right now?
B. Hebrews 12:18-24 compares two mountain encounters with God.
1) He says the Mt. Sinai encounter caused fear.
2) Our alternative, Mount Zion (the New Jerusalem), causes
peace and security.
C. But God still approaches us with a covenant.
1) The old covenant, Sinai, required obedience to a strict law.
2) The new covenant, Jesus, requires a living commitment to
a Savior who is gracious.
D. Have you entered into this covenant?
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SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:
[1] Philip Yancey's book is "Disappointment with God: Three Questions No
No Asks Aloud" (Zondervan, 1988), chapter 5 and following.
#34736 "The Plastic Volcano," by David Holwick, adapted from
PreachingNow newsletter (www.preaching.com) of 4/3/07, and
internet sources.
These and 30,000 others are part of the Kerux database that can be
downloaded, absolutely free, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html
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