Living a Holy Life

Living a Holy Life - Exodus 19:1-20:21 February 12, 2023 Last week I mentioned that I worked in Human Resources for about 10 years. One of the many tasks I completed over those years was conducting New Hire Orientation, where I spent some time reviewing the Company Handbook and specific policies that they all were required to know. The handbook, and the policies and procedures were all required to ensure that everyone was on the same page and that they represented the company and the clients most appropriately. After reviewing and answering questions, they signed acknowledging that they reviewed and understood the policy discussed. At that point, they are in agreement to follow the company's rules as their representatives. Now, if they failed to do so, they were disciplined and eventually their employment was terminated if they continued to not adhere to the policies. Policies are needed to keep order, and to ensure agreement between the two parties. Laws are no different, and I think you'll see why I say that as we continue in our series today. We continue our study of the book of Exodus this morning, and we're approaching the middle of the book, with chapters 19 and 20, through verse 21. Yes, chapter 20 where we find the well known Ten Commandments. These commandments were a set of laws that the Lord gave to the people of Israel. Because this book is part of what we call "the Law," many believe that these commandments are no longer relevant for us today. I'm going to argue here that the Law is indeed relevant for us today, and I'll show you why a bit later in the message. First, I think we should seek to understand the true purpose of the Law, which in its simplest form, was to separate His chosen people from the other nations. In part, this is what we'll see today. With this background in mind, let's begin with Exodus 19:1-6, so we can set up the rest of our text for the morning: 1 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. 2 THEY SET OUT FROM REPHIDIM AND CAME INTO THE WILDERNESS OF SINAI, AND THEY ENCAMPED IN THE WILDERNESS. THERE ISRAEL ENCAMPED BEFORE THE MOUNTAIN, 3 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: 4 'YOU YOURSELVES HAVE SEEN WHAT I DID TO THE EGYPTIANS, AND HOW I BORE YOU ON EAGLES' WINGS AND BROUGHT YOU TO MYSELF. 5 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; 6 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." Let's get right to it, here is our main idea from our text this morning: Because God is holy, we are to be holy. The term holy literally means to be set apart. God wants His people to be different than everyone else. Think about that in today's culture. Christians should not blend into the world. We should not change our core beliefs because the world now celebrates what Bible defines as sinful behavior and lifestyles. And sadly, there are many Christians and churches that support those behaviors and lifestyles because of the pressures of the world around them. As Christians, we have - just like Israel here - been set apart from the world, and we act as the Lord's ambassadors here on earth. With that said, we see two things in our text this morning. We see the holiness of God and we see the actions that we should take to live a holy life. First thing I want to do today is identify where we see ... GOD'S HOLINESS * He delivered the people from Egypt. o I know, we've seen this before, but remember this is a significant event for the nation of Israel. o We saw this as a qualifier in 19:4, and we'll see it again in 20:2. o You see, this event gave them freedom, and because of this, the Lord expected a changed heart, which was primary in the purpose of the Ten Commandments that we'll review shortly. o Next, we see the Lord's holiness in that He ... * He claimed His people. o This phrase came to mind this week: only a Holy God can set aside a nation and make them holy. o In verse 5, the Lord reminds them that He has upheld His end of the covenant, then re-establishes His covenant with His chosen people. * Here, just like we've seen throughout the book so far, they will need to respond to God's instruction, and His will for them. * God claimed them as His treasured possession and declared them to be a holy nation. o Then, finally ... * He directs their worship. o Let's pick up in verse 9: 9 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, 10 THE LORD SAID TO MOSES, "GO TO THE PEOPLE AND CONSECRATE THEM TODAY AND TOMORROW, AND LET THEM WASH THEIR GARMENTS 11 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. 12 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. 13 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." o We see 3 things: * God says, I will come to you. * God says, I will call the people to Me. * God reminds us that He is holy, and they are separated from Him. * This is where the early Christians had such a problem that was continuously addressed by Paul. * They were holding on to the Law as the way to be set apart, as the way to earn their place into the presence of the Lord. * You see, God is the actor here, we are the recipient of the free gift of salvation, something that the Law in itself could not do. * Earlier I said that the Law helps us to see our sin, but another thing we see is that the Law also helps us to understand how we are to be holy, and that's the second question I want to address: HOW TO LIVE A HOLY LIFE Once again, I want to stress that works will not save you. James said it perfectly, faith without works is dead. What he was teaching us there was that works, or actions are a result of our faith. It is a product of our faith. This set of commandments that we'll get to shortly helps us to understand the heart of the Lord, and what He has determined makes His people different than the rest of the world. So, the first thing to need do is ... * Consecrate yourself. o This idea of consecration began back in chapter 19. o Consecration is the idea of preparing yourself for worship. Dedicating yourself to God. In this case, as seen in verses 14-15 it was to clean their garments and to refrain from any sexual activity. Back in verse 10, they were to be ready. * So, what does that mean for you and I today? * Are you praying before you come to church? o Before you read? * Are you confessing your sin before you come to worship? * Are you presenting yourself before God as renewed? o Think about getting ready for a meal. * Before this meal, we need to buy the ingredients, prepare the ingredients, cook them, get the table set, then we're ready to eat it, right? * We don't just sit at the table; it must be prepared ahead of time. * The same is with our Lord. We cannot just go to the table; we need to make sure that we're ready for worship. o So, once we're ready, we can be better prepared for the receiving of His Word. o That leads us to the meat of our text today. These next two actions are wrapped up in the Ten Commandments, where we can naturally separate them into two parts. o First, * Love God. o You see, the commandments are relational. The first four commandments are how we relate to the Lord, and the last six are how we relate to others. o Let's read the first four, beginning in 20:2: 2 "I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD, WHO BROUGHT YOU OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT, OUT OF THE HOUSE OF SLAVERY. 3 "YOU SHALL HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE ME. 4 "YOU SHALL NOT MAKE FOR YOURSELF A CARVED IMAGE, OR ANY LIKENESS OF ANYTHING THAT IS IN HEAVEN ABOVE, OR THAT IS IN THE EARTH BENEATH, OR THAT IS IN THE WATER UNDER THE EARTH. 5 YOU SHALL NOT BOW DOWN TO THEM OR SERVE THEM, FOR I THE LORD YOUR GOD AM A JEALOUS GOD, VISITING THE INIQUITY OF THE FATHERS ON THE CHILDREN TO THE THIRD AND THE FOURTH GENERATION OF THOSE WHO HATE ME, 6 BUT SHOWING STEADFAST LOVE TO THOUSANDS OF THOSE WHO LOVE ME AND KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS. 7 "YOU SHALL NOT TAKE THE NAME OF THE LORD YOUR GOD IN VAIN, FOR THE LORD WILL NOT HOLD HIM GUILTLESS WHO TAKES HIS NAME IN VAIN. 8 "REMEMBER THE SABBATH DAY, TO KEEP IT HOLY. 9 SIX DAYS YOU SHALL LABOR, AND DO ALL YOUR WORK, 10 BUT THE SEVENTH DAY IS A SABBATH TO THE LORD YOUR GOD. ON IT YOU SHALL NOT DO ANY WORK, YOU, OR YOUR SON, OR YOUR DAUGHTER, YOUR MALE SERVANT, OR YOUR FEMALE SERVANT, OR YOUR LIVESTOCK, OR THE SOJOURNER WHO IS WITHIN YOUR GATES. 11 FOR IN SIX DAYS THE LORD MADE HEAVEN AND EARTH, THE SEA, AND ALL THAT IS IN THEM, AND RESTED ON THE SEVENTH DAY. THEREFORE THE LORD BLESSED THE SABBATH DAY AND MADE IT HOLY. o We saw that qualifier earlier, that because of what the Lord had done, this is what He expects in return. Not because it will save them, but out of reverence for Him, out of respect for Him, they can honor Him in keeping these commandments. o Let's quickly discuss these commandments. I'll have them on the screen as we run through them. * Remember the context here. God just rescued the people out of a nation that had many gods. Because His people need to be set apart, they need to be sure that they only worship the one true God, unlike the Egyptians or other nations. So, He commands that there are to be no others gods before Him. * Along the same lines, idolatry was a characteristic of pagan nations and people. I like how one commentator put it ... * "An idol is anything that takes the place of God, anything to which we devote our energy and time, or for which we make sacrifices because we love it and serve it." * I think it goes without saying, but idolatry may not be in form of statues for the Christian today, but it may be in the form of our careers, hobbies and even our families. * The third commandment is to not take the name of the Lord in vain. * Traditionally this has been directly associated with using the Name of God or Jesus as a curse word. While this is definitely included in this, it is a bit broader than that. So, in addition to profanity, it can also mean that we dishonor His Name through our actions, or maybe we publicly profess His Name, but privately we don't honor Him with our hearts. * Finally, the fourth commandment has to do with honoring the Sabbath. The Sabbath is the term used for rest, or more specifically, to stop working. The root of this is found in the Creation account, where God rested on the seventh day. In Matthew 11, Jesus calls on the weary and burdened to go to Him for rest. The writer of the Hebrews said we are to enter into rest, found in Jesus. Paul, in Colossians 2 states that the Sabbath was a shadow of Jesus. In short, today, we're invited to enjoy this rest that is found in Jesus. A day that we set aside to rest, to enjoy the Lord and His creation, and to reflect, just as we see here. o Now that we've covered the commandments that teach us how to relate to our Lord, now we can see the next way to live a holy life is to ... * Love others. o Earlier we stated that the second set of commandments dealt with our relationship with others. For the sake of time, we won't read through them all. o For this audience, it was how they were to relate within the context of the covenant people. o Since Galatians 3 teaches us that we are adopted as sons of Abraham, we can conclude that these last six relational commandments also relate to us within the context of our culture. Let's briefly review them. * The fifth commandment deals with honoring your father and mother. This is addressed in Ephesians 6 where Paul teaches the churches in Ephesus how they are to deal with one another. You'll notice here and there how these deal with the matter of respecting one another and notice that it begins in the home. * The next, are stated without much additional context. * Don't murder. o This directly relates to the unlawful taking of an innocent life, which is why the modern translations use "murder" rather than "kill." * Don't commit adultery. o When Jesus addresses this, He takes it a step further, and says that when we look at someone else with lustful intent, we are committing adultery. o This act deals directly with the act of relations with someone other than your spouse. o Adultery is used in the book of Hosea as a picture of idolatry or chasing after other gods. * Don't steal. o This is self-explanatory, but once again deals with the idea respecting one another and their property. * Don't bear false witness against your neighbor. o Most of us summarize us this commandment as "do no lie." Which is part of the general idea of this commandment. o This is actually a legal term, and is closely related to slander and gossip, or making up a story about someone else, damaging their character or reputation. * Don't covet. o Here, we're given specifics, but very relatable to what we saw with the eighth commandment, do not steal. o Here, like adultery, we see that even wanting or desiring what belongs to another is sinful. It also shows that we're not content with what the Lord has provided for us. We've seen this morning that because God is holy, we are to be holy. We saw that these laws were given in order to set the standard for His covenant people. We've seen that we are to consecrate ourselves, love God and love others so we can be a people that is set apart. It is very clear in the New Testament that we're no longer under the Law, but under grace. We read that the New Covenant has replaced the Old Covenant. It's also clear that the purpose of the Law was given to reveal our sin, among other things. With this understanding in mind, we should approach the Law in the same manner as Jesus did and the early church leaders. In the Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew 5-7, Jesus addresses the topics of murder, adultery, and honoring the Lord's Name, for example. Later in Matthew 22, Jesus combines all the Law into two specific areas: Loving your God and Loving your neighbor. He states this in verse 40: 40 ON THESE TWO COMMANDMENTS DEPEND ALL THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS." Paul, in Romans 7:12 says: 12 SO THE LAW IS HOLY, AND THE COMMANDMENT IS HOLY AND RIGHTEOUS AND GOOD John, in his first letter closed with these words in 1 John 5:21: 21 LITTLE CHILDREN, KEEP YOURSELVES FROM IDOLS. So, you see, there are several examples of the Law being used and enforced in the New Testament, so it is very much relevant for us today. So, here is what I want you to do this week. Will you pray over each of these commandments this week? When you do ask God to do the following: 1. To reveal any idols in your life. 2. To lead you to live a holy life that honors Him. 3. To exalt the Name of Jesus in your life, so other's may know Him. Will you join me in doing that this week? Let's pray. 2