What's the Catch?

Scripture Announcement

Exodus 24.

Scripture Introduction

God had saved the Israelites from slavery to the Egyptian’s.

Over the last few weeks we have seen how God has met with them at Mount Sinai and given them his law.

Today we are going to see God and the Israelites both willingly enter in to a covenant relationship.

Scripture Reading

Exodus 24:1–8 ESV

Then he said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from afar. 2 Moses alone shall come near to the Lord, but the others shall not come near, and the people shall not come up with him.” 3 Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the rules. And all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words that the Lord has spoken we will do.” 4 And Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. He rose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. 5 And he sent young men of the people of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord. 6 And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he threw against the altar. 7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.” 8 And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

Prayer for Illumination

Lord, we know how serious it is to be in a relationship with you, the one true God.

We know that you are holy, just, and righteous, and no unrighteous person can enter into your presence.

Therefore, knowing how much we sin, we praise and thank you that you do not require us to come to you on the basis of our own merit.

Rather, you only except those who come to you through faith in Jesus Christ, the one whom you have sent.

Through faith in him, we are cleansed of our sin, and clothed in his righteousness, and will one day rise like him to enjoy your presence forever!

We thank you for this promise, and pray that your Holy Spirit would be our guide this morning opening our eyes to your word, and strengthening us to bring glory to you throughout our earthly life.

In Jesus name we pray, amen.

Introduction

What’s the Catch?

“What’s the catch?” That’s the title of my sermon this morning.

This is a phrase we use when we hear about a deal that seems too good to be true, and so we’re skeptical.

That’s when we might use the phrase, “What’s the catch?”, by which we are asking…

“Is there some downside or some fine print I should know about?”

“What are you NOT telling me?”

That’s exactly what 21 year-old John Leonard thought one day as he watched a Pepsi commercial.

It was 1995, and Pepsi was promoting a new campaign where you can earn points from your Pepsi purchases to get rewards. The slogan for the campaign was,

“Drink Pepsi – Get Stuff.”

You could get a Pepsi T-shirt for 75 points

A leather jacket for 1450 points.

Sunglasses for 175 points.

But the greatest surprise came at the end of the commercial, when a Harrier Fighter Jet landed in front of a school.

A Harrier Fighter Jet is most known for it’s ability to take off vertically. It doesn’t need a runway.

In the commercial, the Harrier Jet descends in front of a high school, all the wind causing students hair to blown back, and papers flying all over the place.

Then a caption popped on the screen that said

“7 million Pepsi points.”

As John analyzed the screen, he realized there was no fine print.

It is common to see a whole bunch of fine print on the screen.

Commercials by nature can be dramatic, and unrealistic, so they use fine print which legally protects the companies from any lawsuits resulting in claims of false or misleading information.

But as John stared at the screen with the Harrier Fighter Jet on it and the caption “7 million points”, there was NONE!

He began making all the calculations, trying to determine how much Pepsi he would have to buy to get the jet.

He would have to buy 1.4 million — 12 packs of Pepsi.

He realized how much work that would be…

they would need to have storage units to store it…

drivers to pick it all up and deliver it…

It was going to cost over 4 million dollars to purchase it all.

But then… what do you do with all the pepsi?

John thought he had hit a wall… until he found a legitimate loophole in the points system.

You were required to hand in some points, but then the remainder of the item you wanted could be purchased with cash.

Now, after running the numbers, the jet would only cost him $700,000… which was a steal since the Harrier Jet was worth around $32 million dollars!

After spending over $700,000 on Pepsi, John sent in the points and the cash, and waited for his jet.

The question was going to be, whether or not the commercial was a legally binding contract.

Transition

This case highlights the importance of knowing the terms and conditions of a deal before we make an agreement.

Many of you have signed on the dotted line,

whether you have purchased a home or car,

started a new job, or

hired someone to work on your home.

In any of these cases, we realize that we do not get to determine the terms on our own.

The terms are usually set by the one selling the goods or services, however, They must be agreed upon by both parties.

You as the buyer are not forced to sign the agreement, but willingly do so if you wish to receive the goods or service.

It’s the same way in our relationship with God.

We do not get to come on our own terms, he sets the terms.

But he doesn’t force us to comply, but offers us promises and blessings and allows us to decide for ourselves.

Proposition

You bring glory to God when we come to Him on His terms, and trust and obey him.

Today we are going to see how we bring glory to God through:

Obeying his word

Enjoying his presence

Awaiting his return

First…

You bring glory to God by obeying His Word (Ex. 24:3-8)

The basis of the Israelites’ relationship to God… is His Word.

God has saved them, and given them the terms.

God gave them the general obligations in the 10 Commandments, as well as the detailed obligations in the chapters that followed.

What God is saying, “If you are going to be my people, this is how you are to live.”

Now we see the people’s response…

Exodus 24:3–8 ESV

3 Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the rules. And all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words that the Lord has spoken we will do.” 4 And Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. He rose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. 5 And he sent young men of the people of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord. 6 And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he threw against the altar. 7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.” 8 And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

EXPLANATION

As the mediator between God and Israel, Moses faithfully brings the words of God to the people of Israel.

After hearing God’s commands for them to follow, the people agree to do all of it.

They have experienced God’s saving power… He is unlike any “god” they have seen before… therefore they eagerly agree to obey.

Moses then writes the words of the Lord down so that the people can remember and obey them.

We know how prone we are to forget things. They needed to be reminded of God’s Word often.

Then Moses builds an altar, and 12 pillars which represent the 12 tribes of Israel.

Moses then chose some young men to offer sacrifices to God.

This is a function that will later be done by priests, but they had not yet been instituted.

The sacrifices that are offered are necessary because of the Israelite’s sin and guilt before God.

Their sin needs to be cleansed, so a sacrifice was made.

The animal died in the place of the Israelite people as a substitute.

After sacrificing the animals, Moses then reads God’s Law to them one more time, and they all willingly agree to obey it.

Having agreed to God’s terms, Moses sprinkles them with the blood from the sacrificed animal.

Through this ceremony, God sanctifies the Israelites as HIS holy nation.

They are cleansed and holy.

This seals the covenant between God and them.

But notice… it is God’s terms that form the basis of the agreement.

Exodus 24:8 (ESV)

8 And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

They are going to be held accountable by God’s Word.

If they disobey, then God will punish them.

But if they follow God’s Law, then God will bless them.

They bring glory to God obeying his word.

ILLUSTRATION

As they stood in front of a piece of family owned property, Sheila Ramos’ grandsons, who were 10 and 13, started crying.

They wanted to know where the house was. But there wasn’t one… there was only a tent.

They had been living in Florida where Sheila owned a home, but she had fallen hopelessly behind on the mortgage for her 3-bedroom home.

So she packed up and headed back home to a family-owned patch of land.

There, on a July night in 2009, they pitched a tent and, with no electricity, started a new life.

There were many circumstances that led to her not being able to pay her mortgage, and the banks were not innocent.

They were known for using shady and misleading tactics with their mortgages.

But at the end of the day, Sheila had failed to make her payments…

She had failed to fulfill her end of the contract.

A mortgage is a contract that is intended to benefit both the bank as well as the homeowner.

The homeowner gets money to purchase a home you otherwise would not be able afford and slowly pay it back over times…

The bank makes money on the interest.

So long as you make your payments, your relationship to the bank is fine.

But when you don’t, you get into issues, and could potentially lose your home.

APPLICATION

God has just ratified this covenant with His people.

As long as the Israelites obey the terms of the covenant, God will be with them and bless them.

We know that Israel was not obedient… They rejected and turned away from God and his word, leading to his discipline.

Despite what we may think, God’s discipline was a result of his faithfulness to the terms of the covenant.

But now, we refer to this as the old covenant.

God had given them his law, but the law could not change their hearts.

For this reason, God‘s plan was to usher in a new covenant which he prophesied through the prophet Jeremiah…

Jeremiah 31:31–34 ESV

31 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. 33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

The old covenant gave Israel laws to obey, but could not change their sinful hearts.

Under the new covenant, God would give His people new hearts, and put His law within them!

Jesus ushered in that new covenant!

Now, because He has changed our hearts, and given us His Spirit, we have an internal desire to follow and obey God’s Word.

AND YOU BRING GLORY TO GOD WHEN YOU OBEY HIS WORD!!!

Remember… God’s Word can be summed up in two commands…

Love God

Love your neighbour

Tim Challies, in his book, “Do More Better”, talks about what our purpose as Christians ought to be… namely…

Our purpose is to bring glory to God through good works.

Speaking on the change our hearts undergo after salvation, Tim Challies says…

“You’re already very good at doing things that benefit you. We all are. From your infancy you have become adept at expending effort toward your own comfort and survival.

But when God saved you he gave you a heart that longs to do good for others. Suddenly you long to do good to other people, even at great cost to yourself. After all, that is exactly what Christ did on the cross. It is what Christ did and he calls on you to imitate him.”

Though we still struggle at times as believers with selfishness, and only seeking our own interests, we have been given a new heart… The Holy Spirit dwells in us, giving us a desire for good works.

What are good works?

Tim Challies says,

“Good works are deeds done for the glory of God and the benefit of other people.”

We know that all of our good works are like filthy rags, but when they are done by faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross, they bring glory to God!

You bring glory to God by obeying his word.

How else do you bring glory to God?

You bring glory to God by enjoying His presence (Ex. 24:9-11)

After having cleansed His people, now the leaders of Israel are able to go up onto the mountain to share in a covenant meal with God.

Exodus 24:9–11 ESV

9 Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, 10 and they saw the God of Israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. 11 And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank.

EXPLANATION

Moses, and the other influential leaders ascend Mount Sinai in order to confirm and celebrate their newly formed relationship with God.

Aaron is mentioned — He is Moses’ brother, and has been with him since he was called to deliver Israel out of Egypt. Aaron is going to be set apart to serve as priest of Israel.

Nadab and Abihu are Aaron’s sons.

We do not know who the seventy elders are, but they are probably leaders who had been selected from among the people.

All of these leaders got the experience of a lifetime, as they saw God!

We know they did not see God’s face, because in a conversation with Moses in chapter 33 of Exodus, God tells him that “noone can see His face and live.” (Exodus 33:20)

The description that we see here is one of God’s feet. Ex 24:10

Exodus 24:10 ESV

10 and they saw the God of Israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness.

This leads us to believe that is all that God revealed of Himself to them.

But here they are, in the very presence of holy God, and they are not killed!

Verse 11 states this surpising fact… Exodus 24:11

Exodus 24:11 ESV

11 And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank.

Through the covenant that God has now made with His people, the leaders are now able to enjoy the blessing of God’s presence through a meal.

The meal signifies the peace they now have with God.

ILLUSTRATION

Yesterday, Jessica and I were priveleged to attend Aaron & Emily Neufeld’s wedding.

It was a wonderful time of rejoicing with them as they began their new life together as man and wife.

Marriage is a beautiful example to us of what we see taking place here in this covenant between God and His people.

Aaron and Emily exchanged their vows to love and care for one another through all of life’s difficulties, till death separates them.

They made this covenant before God, as well as family and friends, who were witnesses.

They each signed the wedding license, and sealed their union with a kiss.

Later on in the evening there was a meal celebrating their union.

That fellowship meal expressed the union that Aaron and Emily now share… as well as

The fellowship of family and friends who get to enjoy their union together with them.

It was a beautiful day, as they willing gave their lives to be faithful to one another, to put one another first, and enjoy the blessings of being joined together in a holy covenant of marriage.

APPLICATION

I already mentioned before that we are now in the new covenant that Jesus ushered in through His sacrifice.

We also have the blessing of sharing in a fellowship meal that is a sign of our new covenant relationship with Jesus Christ.

It is called the Lord’s Supper… Communion.

Jesus instituted this meal at the Last Supper, as He shared one final meal with His disciples before His death…

Matthew 26:26–29 ESV

26 Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

Now, every time we partake in the Lord’s Supper, we are remembering the covenant we have with God through the sacrifice of Christ.

We remember Him willingly giving His body to be beaten, and hung on the cross in our place…

We remember His blood which was spilled, so that we could be cleansed through faith in Him.

Romans 5:1 ESV

1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Through Christ, we have the joy of having peace with God… we can enjoy God’s presence.

We enjoy God’s presence through

reading His Word…

through prayer…

through loving and serving our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

We also have the joy of sharing in that fellowship with other believers.

When we sit down for a meal together with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, we have the joy of experiencing our covenant with Christ together.

We are reminded that we are recipients of God’s grace together, and have the privilege of being in God’s family together.

We now get to enjoy serving one another with the gifts God has given us for their spiritual growth.

You bring glory to God by enjoying His presence, and the fellowship we have with one another as His children.

You also…

You bring glory to God by awaiting His return (Ex. 24:12-18)

The leaders of Israel have been enjoying their special fellowship meal with God, but since Moses is the mediator between God and His people, only he can go up to receive God’s Word to give to the people.

Exodus 24:12–18 ESV

12 The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and wait there, that I may give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.” 13 So Moses rose with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up into the mountain of God. 14 And he said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we return to you. And behold, Aaron and Hur are with you. Whoever has a dispute, let him go to them.” 15 Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. 16 The glory of the Lord dwelt on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. 17 Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel. 18 Moses entered the cloud and went up on the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

EXPLANATION

God calls Moses up onto the mountain so that He can give Him the Law to give to the people.

God is going to personally inscribe the 10 Commandments on tablets of stone as a reminder to the people that they are His holy rules to be followed.

This is God’s signed copy of the covenant they have agreed to.

Before going up on the mountain, Moses appoints Aaron and Hur as the leaders who will govern the people while he is on the mountain.

There needs to be someone to lead while he is gone.

Aaron seems to be an obvious choice since he has been by Moses’ side from the beginning.

Then Moses, taking Joshua with him, goes up on the mountain.

God’s glory covers the mountain, and it looks like a devouring fire.

We’ve all seen a lot of images this year of massive forest fires, that show massive flames and billowing smoke rising into the sky.

I’m sure that’s just a glimpse of what God’s glory on this mountain was like.

After 6 days, God calls Moses into the midst of the cloud,

He is going to give Moses the 10 Commandments, as well as further instructions regarding worship.

The people are going to continue to sin,

but since God has made a covenant with them,

He is going to institute a system of worship where they can be cleansed of sin,

so that His presence can continue to dwell in their midst.

Transition

We know that Moses is going to be on the mountain with God 40 days and 40 nights, but the leaders and the people did not.

As they wait for their leader to come back down, God is testing them to see if they will be faithful to follow His Word.

ILLUSTRATION

One day, as Jesus was teaching His disciples, He was calling on them to be ready, to be dressed for action.

To illustrate his point, he used the example of a master who had gone away to a wedding, and put his servant in charge until he would return.

He goes on to say in Luke 12:42-46

Luke 12:42–46 ESV

42 And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? 43 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 44 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. 45 But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, 46 the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful.

APPLICATION

Our master, Jesus Christ, has ascended to the right hand of God…

and will one day return, though we do not know the hour or the day.

We are called to be dressed for action… to be ready… to be faithful servants who are committed to doing His will here in this life.

As we await His return…

We bring glory to God as we obey His Word…

We bring glory to God as we enjoy His presence here on earth… and

We bring glory to God as we await the return of Christ.

God has shown us such great love in sending Jesus Christ, which gives us confidence in His promises.

We have the joyful hope of one day sharing in a final meal to commemorate our beautiful union with Him…

This meal is described in…

Revelation 19:6–9 ESV

6 Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. 7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; 8 it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. 9 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”

“Almost Home” — Matt Boswell & Matt Papa

Verse 1 Don't drop a single anchor, we're almost home Through every toil and danger, we're almost home How many pilgrim saints have before us gone? No stopping now, we're almost home Verse 2 That promised land is callin', we're almost home And not a tear shall fall then, we're almost home Make ready now your souls for that Kingdom come No turning back, we're almost home

Verse 3 This journey ours togеther, we're almost home Unto that great forever, we're almost home What song anew we'll sing 'round that happy throne Come faint of heart, we're almost home

Chorus Almost home, we're almost home So press on toward that blessed shore Oh, praise the Lord, wе're almost home

CONCLUSION

You remember John Leonard, who was awaiting his jet from Pepsi…

Maybe you’re wondering if he ever got his jet…

Pepsi immediately rejected him, stating that the commercial was a joke.

John was determined though. He saw the commercial as a legitimate offer.

So he hired a lawyer, which began a few months long court battle with Pepsi to get the jet he believed he had earned.

Unfortunately for him, the courts ruled in favour of Pepsi, and he did not get his jet.

The courts did not believe the commercial constituted a legally binding contract.

There is some difference of opinion on this case, but John felt the company failed to make good on their Word.

He lost his $700,000, and whatever legal fees he had.

Fortunately for us, we never have to worry about God using clever sales tactics with us.

He is not in the business of pulling the wool over our eyes with His Word.

We can have the confidence that He will always follow through on His Word!

Therefore, let us seek to bring glory to Him as we look forward to enjoying His presence for all eternity.