At Sinai

Introduction

Greetings…

It has been continually stated but is worth stating again, we have and will continue to be been blessed by being spiritually feed.

The shepherds of this congregation have blessed us dearly with this lectureship, as have all those that have prepared and preached God’s precious word.

When I first received the email asking if I would be willing and available to preach on this years lectureship I quickly responded yes, and then proceeded to see what my topic would be.

I noticed my Sunday evening topic and then proceeded to simply just look at what the other topics would be covering.

It wasn’t until a few weeks ago that brother Jack sent out the email that was confirming we were able to preach that I realized I had another topic, our topic for this afternoon, “At Sinai.”

Like many of these gospel preachers have mentioned, this walk through the Old Testament is timely.

And what takes place when the Israelites find themselves at the bottom of Mount Sinai is certainly timely for us to consider, focus on, and as Romans 15:4 states learn from.

Now, without diving too heavily back over some of the things already mentioned, it’s important to remember how the Israelite nation was coming into camp as they arrived “At Sinai.”

For all intents and purposes the nation of Israel was on…

A Spiritual High

After All…

Their God, whom they had been crying out to for 400 years has heard their prayers for deliverance.

Exodus 2:23–25 KJV 1900

23 And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. 24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25 And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.

Exodus 3:7–8 KJV 1900

7 And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; 8 And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey…

Exodus 6:5 KJV 1900

5 And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my covenant.

They were on a spiritual high because, they had witnessed their God embarrass Pharaoh with the ten different plagues.

They witnessed the Egyptian water being turned to blood while theirs did not.

They witnessed their slave masters suffer with frogs, gnats, flies, and even the death of their first born.

They witnessed the hard-hearted Pharaoh actually let them go.

Exodus 12:31–33 KJV 1900

31 And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the Lord, as ye have said. 32 Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also. 33 And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead men.

They were on a spiritual high because, they had witnessed their God who heard their cry’s, separate the Red Sea, allowing them to cross on dry land, and then consume the Egyptian army with that same sea.

Exodus 14:21–22 KJV 1900

And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.

Psalm 106:11 KJV 1900

And the waters covered their enemies: There was not one of them left.

They were on a spiritual high because their God led them safely to Mount Sinai and then they were allowed to witness God demonstrate his might, power, and majesty before them as he descended upon Mount Sinai.

Exodus 19:16–19 KJV 1900

And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled. And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice.

Exodus 20:18–21 KJV 1900

And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die. And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not. And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.

Exodus 24:3–7 KJV 1900

And Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the Lord hath said will we do. And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. And he sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the Lord. And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient.

Summary

Can you imagine the Israelites being more spiritually zealous or more hyper aware of how amazing their God is.

And yet, in just 40 days (Exodus 24:18), the Israelite nation that had witnessed such amazing things went from a spiritual high to…

A Spiritual Low

So What Happened?

While Moses was up in the mountain with God and being giving the Law of God, the children of Israel, who could see the smoldering mountain in front of them, pleaded with Aaron to make for them an idol to worship.

Now keep in mind that they were seeking to worship an Egyptian idol, whom many of them had no doubt cried out to while in slavery and yet had never answered their cries while seeing the evidence of the God who brought them out of slavery, right in front of them.

It was mentioned by brother Hall yesterday, Judges 2:10 is one of those passages that should really cause anyone to pause in light of how quickly people can forget God.

Judges 2:10 KJV 1900

10 …there arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.

Brethren these men and women, who had cried out to the God of their forefathers, didn’t forget who God was in five generations or two generations or even one generation, no they forgot who God was just 40 days.

Because if they knew the Lord then they would be aware of God’s wrath, but in reality they had no idea how close they came from being consumed.

Exodus 32:6–10 KJV 1900

6 And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play. 7 And the Lord said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves: 8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. 9 And the Lord said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people: 10 Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation.

Summary

In a matter of 40 days Israel had gone from a great spiritual high to an astonishing spiritual low.

So as has been said, what can we learn from this astounding situation that took place “At Sinai?”

Lessons From Sinai

The Heart Isn’t Moved To Faithfulness By Miracles

With all that the Israelites witness miraculously, you would think they would have been moved to be faithful.

But the reality is the heart is not moved to faithfulness by the miraculous or any other amazing think like it.

The denominational world thrives off of this concept, that miracles motivate faithfulness.

Why else are they constantly conflating the natural for the supranational?

“How can one not serve the loving God after witnessing the miracle of birth, or the miracle of a sunrise.”

The rich man in Luke 16 thought the same thing would motivate his brothers to faithfulness.

However, Abraham in formed the rich man in Torment about this very reality didn’t he.

Luke 16:27–31 KJV 1900

27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: 28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. 29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. 30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. 31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

After all, Jesus rose from the dead and proved this true.

The heart of man isn’t moved to faithfulness by these things, so what is the heart moved by?

The heart is moved to faithfulness by “understanding” God’s faithfulness.

Hebrews 10:23 KJV 1900

23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)

The heart is moved to faithfulness by “understanding” what loving God looks like.

John 14:15 KJV 1900

15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

1 John 5:3 KJV 1900

3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

The heart is moved to faithfulness by “understanding” reverently fearing God.

Psalm 128:1 KJV 1900

1 Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; That walketh in his ways.

Ecclesiastes 12:13 KJV 1900

13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

The heart is moved to faithfulness by “understanding” what it means to be grateful to God for all that he does for us.

Psalm 116:12–14 KJV 1900

12 What shall I render unto the Lord For all his benefits toward me? 13 I will take the cup of salvation, And call upon the name of the Lord. 14 I will pay my vows unto the Lord Now in the presence of all his people.

Brethren, the heart of man isn’t moved by these things amazing to the eyes, but by “understanding” God and his love for us.

Another lesson we can learn for Israel while at Sinai is that…

Anyone Can Succumb To Sin

Now, I know that what I just said is a “no kidding” statement, but hear me out for a moment.

Have you ever been caught off guard by finding out someone, whom you knew was very faithful, got so caught up in sin that the became unfaithful?

Aaron, the man God trusted to be his first high priest, the man whom God chose to be the mouth piece for Moses, the man who performed miracles in front of Pharaoh for God.

This man, made a golden calf to be worshipped and worshipped it.

When reading about Aaron’s actions I can’t help but think of the word of God with passages such as…

Hebrews 2:1 ASV

Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things that were heard, lest haply we drift away from them.

Romans 7:18–20 KJV 1900

18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. 19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

Galatians 5:17 KJV 1900

17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

Matthew 26:41 KJV 1900

41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

Summary

We have to always be keenly aware that sin is ever creeping at our door and Satan is always eager to devour us.

We have too keep our heart focused on our Almighty God and seek to be faithful to him.

Conclusion

At Sinai the Israelites are a lesson on what not to do to be pleasing to God.

How quickly if we do not guard our hearts in Christ Jesus we can go from a zealousness for God to not knowing who he really is.

Invitation

Isaiah 59:1–2 KJV 1900

1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; Neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: 2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, And your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

Philippians 2:6–7 KJV 1900

6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

Romans 10:17 KJV 1900

17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Hebrews 11:6 KJV 1900

6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Acts 17:30 KJV 1900

30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

Luke 14:33 KJV 1900

33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

Matthew 10:32–33 KJV 1900

32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. 33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

2 Thessalonians 1:8 KJV 1900

8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:

1 Corinthians 15:1–4 KJV 1900

1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

Romans 6:3–5 KJV 1900

3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:

1 John 1:7 KJV 1900

7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

James 1:12 KJV 1900

12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.