583 Rescued for a Reason

Introduction: What comes next?

Open your Bibles to Exodus 19.

Yesterday was our 34th wedding anniversary, so I’ve been thinking about the day Tracey and I got married. I still have no idea what she was thinking.

I was nervous. I wasn’t allowed anywhere near the planning. I was just happy to be there.

The only thing about the ceremony that I remember was that I started saying her vows. And then the ceremony was over. She moved into my tiny apartment, which was now our home.

We had made our promises. Now we had to learn how to live them—to listen to each other, make decisions together, forgive, and remain faithful when life got difficult.

We had a home together. Now we had to learn how to share a life.

And that helps us understand a bit of why Israel’s story keeps going after the Red Sea. They’re free from Pharaoh. But what will life with the God who rescued them look like?

That’s what begins to unfold at Sinai.

The God who freed them from slavery has continued to care for them—feeding them when they were hungry and giving them water when they were thirsty. Now they arrive at the mountain where he first called Moses and promised that his people would worship him.

Moses once stood at this mountain hearing what God would do. Now he stands here with the people God has delivered. Every person in that camp is evidence that God kept his word.

[Pause.]

God has kept his word.

And at this mountain, he tells them where he has been bringing them all along: “I brought you to myself.”

So what comes after deliverance? What does God intend for the people he has rescued?

1. A deliverance to remember

Exodus 19:1–4 CSB

1 In the third month from the very day the Israelites left the land of Egypt, they came to the Sinai Wilderness. 2 They traveled from Rephidim, came to the Sinai Wilderness, and camped in the wilderness. Israel camped there in front of the mountain. 3 Moses went up the mountain to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain: “This is what you must say to the house of Jacob and explain to the Israelites: 4 ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.

Before God tells Israel what they must do, he reminds them what he has done.

Notice the verbs:

“I did.”

“I carried.”

“I brought.”

Israel stands at Sinai because God acted for them.

“You have seen what I did to the Egyptians.”

They had lived under Pharaoh’s yoke. They knew what it meant to make his bricks and obey his orders. And they had seen God break his hold on them.

Now the people he enslaved stand free at this mountain, listening to the God who rescued them.

“I carried you on eagles’ wings.”

What an image! It speaks of God’s strength and protective care. Later, Moses will describe that care as an eagle hovering over its young, spreading its wings, and carrying them. Israel was vulnerable, but God carried them beyond Pharaoh’s reach and sustained them through the wilderness.

The journey included hunger, thirst, fear, and uncertainty. His care didn’t mean the journey would be easy. He provided for them through it.

Our new grandson has given me a fresh picture of what it means to be carried.

Honestly, I’m not the most comfortable around babies. When Grayson is awake, I hold him like a carton of eggs. Tracey watches closely and helps along the way. But when Tracey or Caroline is holding him and he falls asleep, they will ease him into my arms. They move slowly. I don’t move at all.

He rests there with his whole weight in my arms. Whether he’s sleeping peacefully or squirming in my arms, I’m still holding him. His peace may change, but my care for him doesn’t.

God tells Israel, “I carried you.”

They remember walking through that wilderness. They remember the hunger, the thirst, and the fear. Now God calls them to remember how he sustained them through it all. They stand at Sinai because he brought them there.

You may look back on a difficult season and remember how afraid you were. Can you also recognize how God cared for you there? Someone brought a meal. A friend stayed beside you when you felt alone.

I remember sitting in a Bible study not too long ago and a woman saying that verse carried me through a particular terrible season.

The hardship was real. And there, in the middle of it, God was caring for you.

God brought them out to bring them near.

“I brought you to myself.”

They have arrived at Mount Sinai. But God describes their destination in terms of a relationship with him.

He has brought them near to belong to him, worship him, and live under his care and authority.

God’s greatest gift to his people is himself.

God knows their fears. He has heard their complaints. And he says, ‘I brought you to myself.’ Some of you need to hear that today. Through Christ, you are welcome to draw near to God—even while you are still learning to trust him.

This purpose finds its fulfillment in Christ. In 1 Peter 3.18, Peter explains that Christ suffered for sins to bring us to God.

Through Jesus, sinners are forgiven and welcomed into fellowship with the Father.

God has brought them to himself. Now he tells them what it will mean to be his people.

2. A covenant calling to obey

Exodus 19:5–6 CSB

5 Now if you will carefully listen to me and keep my covenant, you will be my own possession out of all the peoples, although the whole earth is mine, 6 and you will be my kingdom of priests and my holy nation.’ These are the words that you are to say to the Israelites.”

“Now if you will carefully listen to me and keep my covenant…”

A covenant is a binding relationship involving promises and obligations, something like wedding vows. God establishes its terms and calls Israel to live as his people under his care and authority.

And he begins with listening.

Listening means responding to what God says. Israel can’t simply hear his words, agree that they sound good, and carry on as before. His instruction must shape their life together—their worship, their families, their possessions, their treatment of neighbors, even their rest.

The God who carried them has shown that he can be trusted. Now he calls them to trust him enough to follow what he says.

We can hear a sermon about forgiveness and still nurse a grudge.

We can agree that God is generous and still hold tightly to everything we have.

We can affirm that his Word is true and still damage someone’s reputation behind their back.

Listening to God means allowing what he says to change what we do.

And the word “if” has real weight.

God connects the promises that follow with listening to his voice and keeping his covenant. Israel can’t embrace the privileges of being his people while dismissing his authority. Covenant unfaithfulness will have real consequences.

Their obedience doesn’t purchase the rescue God has already accomplished. But the God who rescued them calls them into a life of faithfulness.

We need to hear both truths.

We can’t earn God’s saving favor by our performance.

We can’t treat grace as a license to do as we please.

And some of you are already taking those steps.

You’re asking for forgiveness when you would rather defend yourself.

You’re learning to be generous.

You’re remaining faithful in circumstances you would never have chosen.

You might get hung up on how much you still need to grow. But take a moment to recognize what God is already doing in you. Those steps of faithfulness are reasons to thank him.

Keep listening. Keep following.

3. A people set apart for God

Let’s read verses 5–6 again. Listen to what God calls the people he has rescued.

Exodus 19:5–6 CSB

5 Now if you will carefully listen to me and keep my covenant, you will be my own possession out of all the peoples, although the whole earth is mine, 6 and you will be my kingdom of priests and my holy nation.’ These are the words that you are to say to the Israelites.”

“My own possession”: They belong to God.

The word translated “my own possession” can describe a king’s personal treasure. A king might rule over an entire land, yet have treasures he especially prizes. God says, “The whole earth is mine”—and then calls these former slaves his treasured possession.

They had spent their lives making bricks for Pharaoh. Now the God who owns the whole earth calls them his treasure.

They haven’t arrived here with an impressive record of faithfulness.

They have been afraid.

They have complained.

Yet God sets this extraordinary calling before them: to belong to him as his treasured people.

Belonging to him brings both comfort and responsibility. They are loved by the God whose voice they are called to obey.

“My kingdom of priests”: They serve God.

Priests were set apart for the worship and service of God. Here, God uses that language to describe the whole nation.

Aaron and his sons will have particular priestly responsibilities. But the entire people have a calling: their life together is to be devoted to God under his rule.

Remember God’s promise to bless the nations through Abraham’s family. Israel’s calling has the world in view. They’re invited to live in ways that reveal his character to the world.

Their worship matters.

Their treatment of one another matters.

Their care for the vulnerable matters.

Through the way they live together, other people should come to understand something of the God they serve.

God is giving these former slaves a place in his purposes for the world.

“My holy nation”: They are set apart for God.

What does it mean to be holy?

SHOW Graphic of God’s attributes in concentric circles with holy in the center.

God is utterly unique, above everything he has made, and completely pure in all that he is and does.

That is why “holy” is at the center of this picture. Everything about God is holy. His love is holy love. His justice is holy justice. His mercy is holy mercy. His power is never abused. His love is never selfish.

For Israel to be holy means that God has set them apart for himself. They belong to him, are devoted to his service, and are called to reflect his character.

Their belonging is to shape their behavior.

Soon the mountain where they are standing will tremble at his presence. The God who brings them near is still holy. Belonging to him means learning to approach him on his terms. Later in Exodus, God will dwell among his people in the tabernacle. His holiness will shape how they approach him and how they live with one another.

Truthfulness matters because God is truthful.

Justice matters because God is just.

Faithfulness and mercy matter because these reflect the God who lives among them.

Narrative arc

Through Christ, this calling reaches us. This is the mystery of the gospel.

How do words spoken to Israel at Sinai apply to the church?

In 1 Peter 2, Peter describes believers coming to Jesus and being built together into a spiritual house. Then he uses this language from Exodus to describe the people gathered around Christ: a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own possession.

Through Jesus, we belong to God. Through Jesus, our worship and service are acceptable to him. We are precious to him. Together, we are called to make known the goodness of the one who brought us out of darkness into his light.

God is forming a people.

We learn to follow him together. We help one another grow. We bear one another’s burdens. Our shared life becomes a place where his love, mercy, truth, and faithfulness can be seen.

God tells us who we are so that we may show others who he is.

[Pause.]

Thrive, that calling is ours. We have people to love, neighbors to serve, and a gospel to proclaim.

Loving people is a tables and chairs ministry. It’s bringing a meal. It’s a hug. It’s listening.

Just before we left for Alaska, we found out our husky, Juno, was seriously ill. We had to say goodbye quickly. It was awful. We got on that plane grieving.

Jake called us and asked who brought the picture. We had no idea what he was talking about.

While we were away, someone at Thrive framed a picture of her.

They didn’t need a title to see our loss and decide it mattered. And that simple act carried us that week.

That’s a bit of what a kingdom of priests looks like. Ordinary people making God’s care visible. He sees you. He knows what hurts. He doesn’t leave you alone in it.

God’s kindness, in a picture frame.

And belonging to this holy God also means:

Telling the truth when a lie would protect us.

It means bringing the sin we’ve kept hidden into the light and asking for help to turn from it.

His character is to shape us even when obedience costs us something.

God has told Israel who they are. Now the people answer.

4. A response to make—and help we need

Exodus 19:7–8 CSB

7 After Moses came back, he summoned the elders of the people and set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him. 8 Then all the people responded together, “We will do all that the Lord has spoken.” So Moses brought the people’s words back to the Lord.

Moses brings God’s words to the people, and then he carries their response back to God. He serves as the mediator of this covenant exchange.

And the people answer together:

“We will do all that the LORD has spoken.”

This is Israel’s version of saying, “I do.”

They have heard what God has done, what he promises, and how he calls them to live. Now they willingly commit themselves to obey. The covenant will be formally ratified in Exodus 24. Here, they give their answer.

When I said, ‘I do,’ I meant it. But I was only beginning to understand what keeping that promise would require.

And Israel’s answer is right.

The people God rescued want to follow him. They want to embrace the life he has set before them.

There is something right about saying, “Lord, you have brought us near. We want our life together to reflect who you are.”

That is a response we should be willing to make, too.

Yet before long, these same people will worship a golden calf.

Their willingness here is appropriate. Their later disobedience is real. And the distance between what they promise and what they do reveals a need that runs deep.

We recognize that distance.

We have meant it when we asked God to help us be patient—and then spoken harshly. We have resolved to trust him—and then reached for control. We have known what obedience required and chosen another way.

We are responsible for those choices. And we need more than another promise to do better. We need forgiveness for our disobedience and renewal that reaches the heart.

[Pause.]

That is why we need Jesus.

Moses carried God’s words to the people and their answer back to God. Jesus is the mediator of a better covenant.

Hebrews 8 explains that this covenant rests on better promises: God promises to forgive his people’s sins and write his law on their hearts.

Israel said, “We will do all that the LORD has spoken.”

Jesus actually lived that obedience. He faithfully obeyed the Father, even to the cross, where he gave himself for people who have broken their promises—including us.

Through his death, he brings us to God.

Through his resurrection, he gives us living hope.

Through his Spirit, he renews us for obedience.

So we can respond to God wholeheartedly while depending on him completely.

We can say, “Lord, we want to follow you. Forgive us where we have failed. Change our hearts, and teach us to walk in your ways.”

Conclusion: Live as people who belong to him

When Tracey and I went home after our wedding, we had made our promises. We were only beginning to discover how those promises would shape our lives.

For thirty-four years, they have taken shape in ordinary days—in conversations, decisions, forgiveness, and learning to care for each other.

At Sinai, Israel says, “We will do all that the LORD has spoken.” Those words will have to take shape in the days that follow.

Our response to God must take shape in ordinary life too.

Through Jesus Christ, we have been brought near to God. We belong to him. And that belonging doesn’t stay in this room. It follows you home.

Some of you will open a text this week that makes your jaw tighten. You’ll start typing the reply you’ve been rehearsing in your head. Listening to God might mean deleting it and writing the one that tells the truth without the edge.

Some of you will sit down across from someone you love and finally have the conversation you’ve been putting off. The apology is already in your mouth, and so is the defense. Listening to God may mean offering the apology without adding the defense.

Where do you need to listen to him this week?

And whose burden could you help carry? Someone near you may need the very kindness God has shown you. As we listen to him and care for one another, our neighbors begin to see something of the God we belong to.

Take that next faithful step. Depend on the Savior who gave himself for you and whose Spirit is at work within you. When you fail, return to him for forgiveness and help. His faithfulness gives us confidence as we learn to follow him.

If you have never trusted Christ, come to him. He gave himself to bring you to God.

[Pause.]

We have been rescued for a reason: to belong to God and live as his people.