Encountering the Holy

Call to worship

Psalm 148 LSB

Praise Yah! Praise Yahweh from the heavens; Praise Him in the heights! Praise Him, all His angels; Praise Him, all His hosts! Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all stars of light! Praise Him, heavens of heavens, And the waters that are above the heavens! Let them praise the name of Yahweh, For He commanded and they were created. He caused them to stand forever and ever; He gave a statute and it will never pass away. Praise Yahweh from the earth, Sea monsters and all deeps; Fire and hail, snow and clouds; Stormy wind, doing His word; Mountains and all hills; Fruit trees and all cedars; Beasts and all cattle; Creeping things and winged bird; Kings of the earth and all peoples; Princes and all judges of the earth; Both choice men as well as virgins; The old with the young. Let them praise the name of Yahweh, For His name alone is set on high; His splendor is above earth and heaven. And He has raised up a horn for His people, Praise for all His holy ones; For the sons of Israel, a people near to Him. Praise Yah!

First Reading

Isaiah 63:7–9 LSB

I shall bring to remembrance the lovingkindnesses of Yahweh, the praises of Yahweh, According to all the ways that Yahweh has dealt bountifully with us, And the abundant goodness toward the house of Israel, Which He has dealt bountifully to them according to His compassion And according to the abundance of His lovingkindnesses. And He said, “Surely, they are My people, Sons who will not deal falsely.” So He became their Savior. In all their distress He was distressed, And the angel of His presence saved them; In His love and in His mercy He redeemed them, And He lifted them and carried them all the ancient days.

Scripture and Prayer

Matthew 2:13–23 LSB

Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him.” So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and departed for Egypt. And he remained there until the death of Herod, in order that what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet would be fulfilled, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.” Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had carefully determined from the magi. Then what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled, saying, “A voice was heard in Ramah, Weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children; And she was refusing to be comforted, Because they were no more.” But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, “Get up, take the Child and His mother, and go into the land of Israel; for those who sought the Child’s life are dead.” So Joseph got up, took the Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Then after being warned by God in a dream, he departed for the district of Galilee, and came and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken through the prophets would be fulfilled: “He shall be called a Nazarene.”

INTRO:

In Exodus 20:18–26, the Israelites experience the awe-inspiring presence of God as they witness His descent upon Mount Sinai. This passage reveals God's holiness, the fear it instills in the people, and His instructions for approaching Him with reverence and respect.

Application: This passage reminds us of the importance of approaching God with the right heart and attitude. It challenges us to consider how we prepare ourselves to encounter God's presence in our lives.

Big Idea: God's holiness calls for our reverent response; in Christ, we find the perfect way to approach Him.

Bible Passage: Ex 20:18-26

Exodus 20:18–26 LSB

And all the people perceived the thunder and the lightning flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking; and the people perceived it, and they shook and stood at a distance. Then they said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself, and we will listen; but let not God speak to us, lest we die.” And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid; for God has come in order to test you, and in order that the fear of Him may be with you, so that you may not sin.” So the people stood at a distance, but Moses came near the dense gloom where God was. Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘You yourselves have seen that I have spoken to you from heaven. ‘You shall not make other gods besides Me; gods of silver or gods of gold, you shall not make for yourselves. ‘You shall make an altar of earth for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen; in every place where I cause My name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you. ‘And if you make an altar of stone for Me, you shall not build it of cut stones, for if you wield your tool on it, you will profane it. ‘And you shall not go up by steps to My altar, so that your nakedness will not be exposed on it.’

1. Fear and Reverence Found

Our text is the continuation of

Exodus 19:18–20 LSB

Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke because Yahweh descended upon it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently. And the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder; then Moses spoke and God answered him with thunder. And Yahweh came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain; and Yahweh called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.

God coming down to Mount Sinai was dramatic!

There was no missing it.

The people had to know that something was up!

Exodus 20:18 LSB

And all the people perceived the thunder and the lightning flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking; and the people perceived it, and they shook and stood at a distance.

God’s dramatic arrival caused fear in the hearts of the people.

They “shook and stood at a distance”

They fearfully withdrew from teh cluster of phenomena accompanying this theophany, appearance of God.

Exodus 20:19 LSB

Then they said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself, and we will listen; but let not God speak to us, lest we die.”

In fear, they asked Moses to be an intermediator between God and them.

They feared they were not fit to live in God’s presence and would die if they had a direct encounter.

The people's request for Moses to mediate between them and God signifies their understanding of their own inadequacy before divine purity.

This moment foreshadows our need for a mediator, fulfilled in Christ, who bridges the gap between sinful humanity and a holy God.

Only through Him, are we made fit for holy space and God’s precense.

Moses encouraged the Israelites

Exodus 20:20 LSB

And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid; for God has come in order to test you, and in order that the fear of Him may be with you, so that you may not sin.”

Moses made sure they got the point!

Don’t fear

They had been chosen by God and delivered. They were set aside as His people. There was no need for terror.

God was testing (teaching) them

At the same time, God wanted them to be in awe and to approach Him with reverence.

They recognized God's overwhelming holiness and power.

AP: We should recognize and respect the holy nature of God.

He is still holy and we mere mortals are still sinful.

Jesus, our Mediator, is constally interceding for us.

1 Timothy 2:5 LSB

For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

He makes intercession for us

Romans 8:34 LSB

who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.

When we have the right reverence for God, we are invited to a posture of humility and reverent worship

2. Fear Transformed to Faith

Exodus 20:20–21 LSB

And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid; for God has come in order to test you, and in order that the fear of Him may be with you, so that you may not sin.” So the people stood at a distance, but Moses came near the dense gloom where God was.

Moses reassures the people that their fear serves a purpose—to keep them from sinning.

With healthy reverence and awe of GOD, they would avoid sin and serve Him faithfully.

This passage affirms that godly fear is not paralytic but proactive, guiding believers toward righteousness

AP:

Christ, transforms fear into a motivating respect that draws us closer to God's holiness.

We need a healthy fear of GOD. Just enough to deter our own sin nature.

Like a chid who avoids misbehavior out of fear of parental discipline.

By understanding this, Christians are invited to reflect on how we might cultivate a similar reverential fear in our own spiritual journey.

3. Faithful Devotion Demanded

Exodus 20:22–23 LSB

Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘You yourselves have seen that I have spoken to you from heaven. ‘You shall not make other gods besides Me; gods of silver or gods of gold, you shall not make for yourselves.

Here, God reminds the people of His unique and unparalleled divinity revealed from heaven. In response, they are commanded to worship Him alone, avoiding the temptation of crafting idols.

God reemphasizes the requirement to have no other gods many times

You shall “make” no other gods

Idols are made of material things. silver and gold.

They represented their so called gods and goddesses. They were NOTHING and if any spiritual power impacted those who worshipped them, it was demonic.

False gods.

imaginary and imposters (fallen angels)

Perhaps even trying to make physical representations of Yahweh.

Man made way to worship.

Humans have a history of this

We have all GOD has provided, but we want a little more.

AP: Undivided loyalty

This passage reveals the importance of undivided worship and loyalty in our relationship with God.

God will not share His glory

We cannot compromise and serve God and any other.

One example:

Matthew 6:24 LSB

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

Christ fulfills the righteousness the Law demands and allows us to worship God in truth and spirit.

We should examine modern-day 'idols' in our lives,.

Are we trying to worship God and…. anything else? Is our loyalty divided?

We must turn solely toward Christ for fulfillment.

4. Foundation for Genuine Worship

Exodus 20:24–26 LSB

‘You shall make an altar of earth for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen; in every place where I cause My name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you. ‘And if you make an altar of stone for Me, you shall not build it of cut stones, for if you wield your tool on it, you will profane it. ‘And you shall not go up by steps to My altar, so that your nakedness will not be exposed on it.’

God provides instructions for building altars that ensure His people's worship remains genuine and pure.

He prescribed the details (as we will see later) the exact way to worship Him including the dimensions of the tabernacle, alter, and timing of all sacrifices.

God emphasizes simplicity and respect in their offerings, showing that true worship is about the heart, not elaborate rituals.

The canaanites and other groups had more elaborate systems.

They had multiple gods and goddesses (storm, fertility, underworld, mother-goddess figures) each one was thought to govern distinct spheres; cultic practice seeks favor from particular deities for specific outcomes.

Rituals were often framed as exchanges:

offerings, sexual rites, or sacrificial acts performed to secure fertility, rain, or victory; cult functions to maintain cosmic order by reciprocal giving.

One had to impress their god or goddess.

It was an elaborate maze of honoring certain gods at certain times and for certain desires then switching to others for different concerns.

AP:

God still sets the terms on how we approach Him

Today, we approach HIm through Christ, who became the ultimate sacrifice, simplifying our access to God.

We should consider the altars of our own worship—are they built on complex traditions, or grounded in a sincere heart for God?

Find simplicity and sincerity in Christ, who calls us to approach God with pure intention.

Conc