Descent upon the Mountain

We preach book by book, verse by verse, and we preach the whole counsel of God. We do this type of preaching because we believe it is the most profitable means in which preaching should be one. We let the Word of God dictate for us what we are to preach and what we are to say. As we have traveled throughout the book of exodus, we have seen who God is, how he relates to his people, his grace, his mercy, and his justice. we have seen pictures or shadows of what was to come in Jesus Christ. As we continue to worship this morning and do it by the preaching of the word, lets read the word and pray, so that we may ask for the spirits help, knowing that God is near to us.

Marriage is a beautiful picture to what we are going to learn about this morning. One man entering into a covenant with his bride, promising to love her for the rest of their days. The bride promising the groom to remain by his side till death takes either one of them. The Marriage covenant between the bride and the groom as they enter into it, show a devotion to one another. No other man will take His bride. No other woman will take her groom. They promise to be devoted to one another, in sickness and health, through thick and thin. Devotion comes from the relational understanding of Who they are to each other in this covenant.

While this is not a marriage sermon, the picture of marriage is seen here in Exodus 19 . Through the convenant that God makes with Israel. Israel will now be devoted to him. God gives a promise that the Israelites will be his treasured possession. This relationship between God and israel now points to the church in the new covenant brought by Jesus’s blood.

When we get to Exodus 19 we see a covenant being reminded to the people of Israel. They are going to hear the covenant and enter into it understanding that, they are to live devoted lives to their God and Savior for the rest of their existence. The Christian enters into a covenant with God through Jesus Christ . For the Christian, our lives are now to be lived devoted to our savior.

MPT: God is preparing his people to live as his people.

MPS: Jesus has brought is into a new and better covenant, worship and Devote yourself to your savior.

1. Reminding of the Covenant (1-9)

Exodus 19:1–9 ESV

On the third new moon after the people of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that day they came into the wilderness of Sinai. They set out from Rephidim and came into the wilderness of Sinai, and they encamped in the wilderness. There Israel encamped before the mountain, while Moses went up to God. The Lord called to him out of the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.” So Moses came and called the elders of the people and set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him. All the people answered together and said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do.” And Moses reported the words of the people to the Lord. And the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am coming to you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and may also believe you forever.” When Moses told the words of the people to the Lord,

We return, with Moses and the Israelites, to the Mountain of Sinai. Sinai is going to be central for the people of Israel up until they leave for the three day journey to the promise land, in which they will do twice, the first three day journey they will not enter into the land, It is then separated by 40 years of wandering, and then another return to Sinai before traveling three days into the promised land with Joshua.

As the people of Israel come to the Mountain for the first time, they are unfamiliar. However, Moses knows this mountain quite well. Moses encounters the true and living God for the first time upon this mountain in the form of a burning bush. In God’s providential redemption plan for his people, the Israelite arrive and for them this place is going to signify a new relationship between the Israelites and God himself. The Israelites have seen a God that has saved them from slavery to be his people, now God is going to show them what that relationship is going to look like, how they are going to act and how they will live. To do this god issues a covenant.

Covenants are not new in the biblical storyline. God made a covenant with Adam in the Garden, Noah after the flood, and Abraham. Each covenant that God makes with mankind follows a form. God declares who he is, then he declares who is to be a part of the covenant, then he gives the stipulations. For the Abrahamic covenant, God covenants with Abraham that from Abraham God will establish offspring and from that offspring all the nations of the earth will be bless. From Abraham, there was Isaac, then from Isaac there was Jacob and from Jacob came the twelve tribes of Israel. The same people here that have traveled through the wilderness to the bottom of this mountain.

Moses goes up to the top of the mountain. This will be The first out of many trips of Moses Moses will go up and down this mountain interceding on behalf of God and his people for a year. The Lord speaks to Moses and God is in this moment is Reminding the people of Israel of the Covenant that he made with Abraham and showing the continuation of that covenant for the people of Israel now. There are four things i want us to see as God is reminding them in this Covenant

Notice who this covenant is coming from

God in verse 4 reminds Israel who he is. This covenant comes from Yahweh, The I AM. The one who showed himself to Moses, The one that deliver the people of Israel from Egypt. They had seen the Lord’s judgement upon Pharaoh and Egypt. They had see the plagues that happened to the Egyptians, and saw the grace that was shown upon them as they were not affected by the plagues. They saw his grace extend to them as they crossed the sea unharmed and Pharaoh’s army destroyed. They saw him guide them by a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day. They saw him issue manna from heaven in the morning and even give them water that came from a rock. They have seen how powerful he was from a distance.

God continues to remind them who he is by pointing to what he has done for them. He says, “how I bore you on eagles wings and brought you to myself.” God uses the imagery of the Eagle to show how he has swooped down to protect the people of Israel, further, It shows the fearlessness and power found in the bird of prey. Through this poetic language God is speaking of the saving work that he did for Israel to bring them out of slavery and make them his own people.

Next, I want you to see the stipulations of the covenant.

Remember that they are already in this covenant with God because of what he has done to redeem the people to himself. Because of what God has done in saving them, they are now to obey his voice and keep the covenant. Notice, that obedience is not found here as a means for Israel to be saved. They have been saved, therefore they obey. Their obedience is an out-flowing response to God’s saving work on they behalf. They are to be devoted to God, because they have been redeemed by him. This is for their own good and benefit. This saving work of God was done by grace for the people of Israel. He already chose to make them a nation. He brought them out of slavery. Now they are to live devoted to him.

Third, As God is reminding them of the Covenant that he has made with them, he shows their benefit for being in the covenant

They will be his treasure possession

Out of all the nations in the earth God will take the nation of Israel as a personal treasure. There were to be his people and he was to be their God. God’s relationship with Israel was to be like a Father to a son. One of intimate love as he was their protector and fortress. They were to be his personal possession from out of all people. They were the most prized possession for a special purpose.

They will be a kingdom of priest

It was not that all of the people of Israel would be those who were priest because God is going to establish the levites to be priest in the chapters to follow. However, They were to be the means in which the nations were brought to God. They were to be the means in which the nations, tribes and people groups were to be reconciled to God. They would be the means in which redemption for the sinfulness of man was to be reconciled.

They will be a holy nation

Holy means set apart. Different. We can see this in some of the laws that the people were given. How different they were to be than the nations that surrounded them. They were to reflect God’s holiness and perfect standard in the law that they were about to receive.

Christ

I want you to quickly think through the biblical storyline. Israel does not obey. God requires in his law, perfect and perpetual obedience. As we see in this covenant made by God, Israel does not fulfill their duties and they forfeit their benefit to be God’s personal treasure, a kingdom of priest, and a Holy Nation. However, The true and better Israel came. The one to whom the covenant was fulfilled in. Jesus Christ came and obeyed where Israel disobeyed.

He is the one who God’s beloved son, In whom the father was well pleased. (Matthew 3:17) He is the father’s treasured possession. He is the king priest that reigns upon a throne. He is the great high priest that brings all peoples and nations to salvation through his death burial and Resurrection. He is a holy nation that through him the call to the nations to repent and believe is finally in effect. He fulfills this covenant given upon the mountain and God gives a new covenant through his blood.

How do you enter this new covenant? It is by faith. The same thing that the Israelites were to have. Their obedience was not for their salvation. They didn't obey to be saved. They were saved and now they were to trust in their savior and be obedient. This has been God’s working way throughout all the bible. Obedience never saved. Obedience didnt save Adam, it didnt save Noah, It didnt save Abraham. It is faith that saves. God has provided the saving work, His son has obeyed where you can never, check yourselves in the next chapter, you will see that you cannot obey. Believe by faith in Jesus Christ, Trust in his obedience for your salvation, because he is enough.

Brothers and Sisters, Those who have believed in God, we are now called the same thing that Israel has been. 1 Peter 2:9-12 “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.”

Oh the wonderful relationship we now have with our God. We are now his own possession. we are set apart from the world for his own glory.

He has chosen us to be his means in which sinners hear His word proclaimed and respond to it. It is a mystery to why God chooses to use to continuously proclame his excellencies. Parents, Proclaime them when you parent your children, when you arise, pray with your children and for your children. Worker, proclaime them when your boss is a jerk, when he is kind. Brothers and sister continuously proclame them. Speak the gospel to those who you meet and those who you know. Speak it to yourself.

There is a sense in which we chose to disobey, however, Do not rebel. God has saved you. God has released you from the captivity of sin, brought you from death to life, pulled you from the pit of despair. Obey him. The Christian cannot enjoy fellowship with God in rebellion against him. If you are hardened by your sin, If you are sinning habitually, if you are going through the motions and still being bound to the sin in which you were redeemed by; repent and look to your savior. 1 John 1 6-10 “If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

Sinner, repent and believe.

Lastly, The response of the people

Whenever the word of God is proclaimed, it demands a response. Look at Exodus 19:7-8 “So Moses came and called the elders of the people and set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him. All the people answered together and said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do.” And Moses reported the words of the people to the Lord.”

Corporately the people respond. When we arrive a church, we some come expedient to hear the word of God being proclaimed. After there is a response, for some the response is, “What is for lunch, Wow that was long, Oh my i slept good” but for those desiring to worship the Lord and those who are in covenant with him the response it, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do.” The response of the word being proclaimed is a confession of jesus is our Lord and an outpouring of obedience and devotion to him.

We do this corporately, on the Lord’s day, As we gather together in light of our salvation in Christ Jesus. God has always had in mind a corporate people not an individualist faith. Following Christ is to be done in community just as much as it is to be done in the heart. Hebrews 10:25 Let us “not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” In our gathering we pour out our hearts with praise and thanksgiving. We obey all the “one anothers” in scripture. We rejoice in the Lord, we encourage others, to leave their disobedience and obey their savior who has saved them. and we do it more and more knowing that Jesus is to return at any time.

God has given his covenant to the people and they have responded. Now they are about to see upon the mountain their God coming in a thick cloud. Even in the midst of the Cloud God is going to reveal his holiness.

2. Revealing of Holiness (9-25)

Exodus 19:9-25 “And the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am coming to you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and may also believe you forever.” When Moses told the words of the people to the Lord, the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments and be ready for the third day. For on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. And you shall set limits for the people all around, saying, ‘Take care not to go up into the mountain or touch the edge of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death. No hand shall touch him, but he shall be stoned or shot; whether beast or man, he shall not live.’ When the trumpet sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain.” So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and consecrated the people; and they washed their garments. And he said to the people, “Be ready for the third day; do not go near a woman.” On the…”

God reveals his holiness by his regulation of worship

God is transcendent. He is separate from everything that he has made. However, he is immanent in the way that he relates to his creation, his closeness or his nearness. Trascendent = Above or separate. immanent = Close or near. Isaiah 57:15 “For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.”

God’s holiness causes him to be separate from us. He is perfect in his being. He is the exalted one, above everything that is made, however he is near to his people. And we see here that he is coming down to his people..

Many Christians feel comfortable with a God that is immanent, because we forget his transcendence. This causes us to approach flippantly before God in worship. however as we see here there is a way that God commands for us to approach him in Worship. For the Israelites to be able to be in God’s presence and experience is immanence, he regulates how they are to come to him. God tells moses to tell the people to consecrate themselves, wash themselves, no not have sexual intercourse and to a certain group that they are not to come near the mountains.

consecration and washing

The idea of consecration is confusing in this chapter. We are not given an outline of how they were to consecrate themselves however, we know that they were to separate themselves from everything else as God’s people. They were also called to wash their garments. They were to clean their clothes in preparation. This consecration and washing can be seen as an inward cleaning and an outward cleaning in preparation of God’s immanence.

setting boundaries

around the mountain

God sets boundaries around the mountain of God. He tells the people that they should take care not to go up into the mountain or touch the edge of it. If they touch the mountain they shall be put to death.

what the people are to do and not do

Even in those who should be put to death, The people of Israel were not to touch them after they had touched the mountain, they were to be stoned or shot. Further, they were not to have sexual intercourse.

The worship of Yahweh the God that had saved them was to be different than how the Egyptians worshipped. They could touch and carry their idols. They would engage in sex for worship at the foot of their idols. We see later on in Exodus 32 , they gather around the golden calf having sexual intercourse.

The reason why that the worship of Yahweh was to be different was because of his holiness. He is protecting them, he is showing them grace at the same time that he is revealing them his holiness.

God reveals his holiness through the thick cloud

In verse 16, God descended on the third day with thunder and lightning in a thick cloud and a very loud trumpet blast. Even behind the veiling of the cloud God’s holiness causes the people to tremble. His holiness is so great that even the mountains tremble in his presence. As God descended upon the mountain it was wrapped in smoke and fire. God answered Moses in the fire. They needed something else or rather someone else to bring them to God on their own, to be in the presence of God. They needed a mediator.

God reveals his holiness through his mediator

Moses was Israels mediator. He was the one that brought the nation of Israel to God himself. Look at Exodus 19:17 “Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain.” However, even then they could not see God. They could see the smoke and the fire, they could hear the trumpet blast, they could smell the burning of the mountain, they could feel the thunder but they could not see God. The people were to hear God speak through the cloud, smoke and fire. They could feel the movement of the sound waves. They know that they were in the presence of an all powerful God and they shuddered. It was moses who had access to speak directly to God and God would speak through his prophet.

We cannot approach God because of our sinfulness. Just as the Israelite needed someone to mediate between them and God, so do we. Hebrews 8:6 “But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises.”

Jesus is the best mediator that we ever need. In him is the immanence of God and the transcendence contained in himself. He is God with us. He is the one that goes before us to speak on our behalf. His death has made us pure enough to enter into the presence of God. Where our sin separates us from God, His sacrifice cleanses our sins and brings us to God. 1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,”

Praise be to Jesus our perfect mediator. The one who did not give up his divinity, but took on humanity, remained sinless, died on our behalf. Oh the grace of a savior, the love of Jesus. Now for the christian, we can come before God with confidence. Hebrews 4:14-16 “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Brothers and Sister, no longer is God veiled for us. one day we will be able to feel and touch the mountain but even better Jesus himself. He will touch us tenderly, and wipe every tear from our eyes. The grace that we have felt now provides for us confidence to come to God when we are battling sin to receive more grace every day.

While we await that time and we are still on the earth. God has commanded us how we are to approach him now.

We must come to worship God appropriately and in the way that he requires. The church’s worship shouldnt be left to individual preferences. We can not determine how God is to be worshiped apart from his scripture. The argument may be given that God doesnt care how we worship him as a church, however, that Is not the case. Just as he went into great lengths to show the Israelite how to approach him, he has also shown us how to do church and how to promote worship.

We must lay aside our subjective preferences, and go to scripture and see what God commands in his worship. God did not leave us on our own but have given us instruction on how we worship, govern the church, to live as believes, to reject the sinfulness of the world. Further, we must lay aside man made traditions that govern the church. God has spoken to what he requires for worship. in his church.

Do you know? Have you studied? Have you asked the question Why do we do these things and have gone to the scripture to find an answer? This is what we do, the church is to study the word of God to determine how we do church and worship.

2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,” Because all scripture comes from the mouth of God, that means Scripture teaches us about what we need to do. Scripture disproves of our sin and disobedience, Scripture corrects and it trains us.

That means that scripture has the authority to tell us what to do in the Local church and in our personal worship. Scripture trumps tradition. Scripture trumps preferences. Scripture trumps feelings. Scripture trumps Bi-laws. Scripture trumps ideas. Scripture trumps liturgy. We must appeal to scripture to tell us, how we must worship God.

The reason comes back to who God is. He determines how he is to be worshiped...not us. Church this is a means of grace to us. God did not leave us to just figure it out. JustFiguring it out based upon how we feel leads to death. Aaron’s sons as they gave up strange fire to the Lord. Annias and Sapphire as the lied to the church and the Holy Spirit. Brothers and Sisters, If we continue to navigate in the church using personal preferences, subjective feelings, bilaws, unbelievers ideas, tradition, we are not submitting ourselves to the authority of scripture. God has determined, how he is to be worshiped and what he requires of the church to be devoted to him. Are we going to listen to his call, pray, evaluate, and look to his word for Guidance. Or are we going to be like the israelites who after they entered into the land and became established, did everything right in their own eyes?

Maybe for you, there is this idea that I am just spiritual, I take many different ideas from all the religions and I merge them together to be spiritual. Notice here, God tears down these things. He sets how he is to be worshipped. Maybe for you you think it doesnt matter, whatever feels good to you then you are okay. See that God here puts boundaries on how he is to be approached. Because of his transcendence and holiness, He gets to determine how he is to be worshipped. Him letting us know how we need to worship him is a gift of grace to us.

We would die to be in his presence because of his holiness. The Seriphem that sing Holy Holy Holy in Isaiah 6 cover their eyes in his presence ,why do you think that you can waltz into his presence by yourself and in your own way. Hebrews 12:28-29 “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.”

This is why he comes down in a thick cloud, this is why God tells moses to go back down and tell them a warning not to break through to get a glimpse. God is showing grace to us by telling us how to worship him for he is a consuming fire.

Further, He is not to be worshipped flippantly, he is to be worshipped in a manner of devotion. Knowing who God is Knowing his holiness, his justice, his grace, his mercy, all of our knowledge of him causes us to worship devotedly. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, no one comes in the presence of the Father except through him. Once in the presence of the Lord through Jesus salvation, we are redeemed. We like the Israelites have been taken out of our slavery, where we were in bondage to sin and now we have been Redeemed. Therefore, God provides for us now how to live in the wilderness awaiting to see the Glory of Christ. he calls us to be devoted to him, for the rest of the wilderness journey.

One day in the new heavens and new earth those of us that are in Christ will be able to be in his presence where his full glory is not veiled in a cloud. Those who have believed and overcome will be able to be with Jesus, seeing the full radiance of his glory and worship him for the rest of eternity.