Out of Chaos/Into Covenant

(S1) — Exodus Series—Out of fear/hope→Our story/God’s Story→Bondage/Freedom→Despair/Celebration...

PRAY

(S2) — Family Chaos

Imagine running a household without some kind of order/rules?

“Some call it chaos, we call it family”

“A little bit of chaos, a whole lotta love”

This kind of chaos can be good and even healthy…

Imagine our world without order; nothing but chaos! Ironically this all started out this way…

Genesis 1:1–2 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”

Chaos…but God didn’t leave it that way; God spoke and brought order, structure, and life. It all was given meaning and purpose.

But then a different kind of chaos entered God’s ordered world…its destructive, painful, it wrecks life’s, marriages, churches, and ultimately leads to death.

(S3)

When humanity turned away from God, for their own selfish desires…chaos that is not good…SIN—The Bible is all about how God rescues us out of that…

“There is this scientific idea that anything left unattended will go back to the way it was.”

Garden—quickly overcome by weeds…

It happens in relationships, families, churches, communities, nations…the human soul…

The Exodus is God forming a nation—a new family. The Israelite community; millions of them, being led into the wilderness by Moses; not knowing where they were going…things were a little chaotic!

Left unattended they would be tempted to go back to what they knew

{16:1-3}

From a song of celebration to grumbling...how soon they forgot! There was chaos in the wilderness

Moses had lead them through the Sinai wilderness, to Mt Sinai…God would bring them out of the CHAOS and into a COVENANT relationaship with himself.

(S4) — TITLE

...show them a better way to live

Are there people you know living in chaos…looking for a better way to live?

God’s faithfulness was never in question…in their exodus they were learning to TRUST God; in the wilderness they would need to…

(S5)

Live in OBEDIENCE to God’s ways

Exodus 19:4–5 NIV

‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.

Escaping through the Red Sea; God carried them... and brought them...

...in the wilderness, God was bringing them out of CHAOS...by drawing them closer to himself

Trusting God and living in obedience to God’s ways are two different things

Man over a cliff hanging on a branch—“Is there anybody up there?” He gets a response; “Yes, I am here.” Excited, he shouted, “Thank you, who are you?” Quick came the reply, “I am God. I will help you, but you will have to let go of the branch. Unwilling to do so, he kept hanging on all through the night. The next morning, the villagers found the dead man still clinging to the branch just two feet above the ground.

Followers of Jesus are to not only trust God, but live in obedience to God’s ways?

John 14:1 ““ Trust in God, and trust also in me.”

John 15:12 “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”

They were to OBEY God’s ways—What were they?

God’s law—The reason Moses brought them to God’s Holy Mountain

What is Gods’ law? The Big Ten—But they only began here…

Exodus 21:1 ““These are the laws you are to set before them:”

Broken down…….Moral—Civil—Ceremonial

When the pharisees spoke of the law they were referring to all of them…

When Jesus spoke of law…the 10 commands of God’s COVENANT with his people.

Are they relevant for us today?

Taught/memorized/Early age—Movie

“Common sense Guide for living...rules to live by...all ages...in community”

“A way to loving God and others...inform our behaviors

“How much better this world would be...”

(S6)

I want us to look at them differently…not as a set of rules to restrain or restrict us! but to see God’s law as a GIFT!

…to help us live obedient lives to the one who saves us. The big ten are commands; the baseline principals of obedience to God

{Matthew 22:36-40}

Loving God and loving people…In the law, they would discover three things about the ways of God through them

(S7)

I. Their PURPOSE in them

…out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.

“What began with Abraham was formalized with Moses when God carved out a people from the people of the world. These unique people received the designation holy.” (1)

…set apart for Holy Living; distinct from the rest of the nations...set apart to be God’s Holy representatives in the world. To live in a way so that the nations around them would know and worship God...the one who rescued them

Their wilderness journey had a purpose…so they would know God

Exodus 20:1–2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”

Your wilderness journey’s have a purpose...when God is in them

No matter what your going through…

Christians today are called to be a holy people; set apart to project and display the extraordinary presence of Christ in the world

“Holy people are not flawless people, but we are a distinct people. What makes us Holy is who we worship, what we believe and how we act.” (1)

How were they to live into their purpose as God’s Holy people? What would distinguishes God’s people from the other people of the earth?

The Ten Words—Two parts

“Ten distinct ways that the people who worship God believe and act differently than people who do not do so.” (1)

(S8)

I. Vertical Standard (1-4)—concerning our love towards God

I am the Lord your God…. you must not have any other god but me.

2. You must not make … an idol of any kind or an image of anything….

3. You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God.

4. Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.

How are you doing so far?

II. Horizontal Standard (5-10)—our love towards people

5. Honor your father and mother.

6. You must not murder.

7. You must not commit adultery.

8. You must not steal.

9. You must not testify falsely against your neighbor.

10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house.

How are ya’ll doing? Only 10...We can do this right! Nope and God knew it!

There was purpose in them...

The second thing they would learn about the ways of God through them

(S9)

II. Their PROBLEM in keeping them

“Humans seem to have a spoke missing in our factory-made flywheels, a glitch in our operating systems. We have a problem. We are all straight up sinners. Rev. Shane Bishop

Jesus confrontation with the Pharisees over keeping the law…all of them

“Jesus’ best argument for the New Covenant was that we could not keep the old one. He drove this point home over and over again. When he taught, he consistently raised the bar of the Ten Commandments. He never lowered it. (1)

Even if we could keep the letter of God’s Law (which we can’t), we could never keep the spirit of the Law.

Matthew 5:27–28 ““You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

God know their problem in keeping them

“In Creation, All humanity had to do was to embrace the good gift of the heavens and the earth and choose to be obedient to God’s commands. In the Fall, humanity chose sin and death over obedience and life. God said, “Don’t,” and we chose will. With sin, Creation crashed and took humanity offline with God. It wasn’t a problem; it was the problem.” (1)

Jesus came because of our problem in keeping them

The third thing they would learn about the ways of God through them

(S10)

III. The PROVISION in them…for a better way of life

Exodus 20:20 “Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.””

What the law isn’t

2. Obeying the law is not about EARNING God’s love

Ephesians 2:8 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—”

2. A set of rules to make us feel GUILTY

John 8:7 “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.””

3. it was not given to make us BETTER than others...

Matthew 20:25 “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.”

3. It was not given to SAVE us

Acts 4:12 “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.””

(S11)

The law is...God’s GIFT to Life

Gods’ law brings us into the boundaries of a loving relationship with God and people

Which is the greatest?

Matthew 22:37–39  ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

Do we have PURPOSE in them? Yes!

1 Peter 1:15–16 “Just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.””

Are we to keep on sinning because we have a PROBLEM in keeping them? No

Romans 6:1–2 “ Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?”

Is there PROVISION in them for a better way of life? Yes! But they are more then a set of principles to live by, when we trust in Jesus and obey his word...

Imagine our world without order; nothing but chaos! Imagine your life this way...that was always God’s plan

Challenge

Do you have any chaos in your life..? How are yo tending to the garden of your soul?

— Let Jesus who show you how to live in OBEDIENCE to God’s ways...show you your your purpose in them...and your own problem with keeping them...and I promise you will see Jesus as God’s provision in them.

(S12)

John 1:17 NIV

For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Jesus is God’s gift to a better way to live...to bring us out of chaos and into God’s Covenant of love

The Big Ten of God were a gift...They are a gift to a better way of life...Jesus is the gift