Our Lofty & Loving God

Text: Exodus 19:9-16

I have been spending most of my time building a library of church leaders back in the day of the Puritans and the time of the reformation. You might ask, why? Are there not any good authors today? Of course! I do have many books of today’s authors. However, it seems like the further you go back, you find a brilliant reverence for the transcendence, holiness and sovereignty of God un-comparable to any other age of writing.

What is amazing about our majestic transcendent God, is that He is also Immanent (being near and relatable to his creatures). This speaks to His personal involvement. This speaks to His interaction with creation. Is that not why we approach Him with the anticipation of intimacy? Is that not why we call Him our PERSONAL Savior?

What I am finding in church culture today is a DOWN PLAYING one aspect while over emphasizing the other.

Quote: We live in an age of immanence, an age that sees God more as a personal friend than a supreme deity. Most Christians today feel more comfortable with a user-friendly God than with one who is holy and majestic. The result is a casual approach to worship. I refer not to the style of worship, primarily, but to the attitude of most worshipers. We come to church the way we would drop by someone’s living room rather than the way we would enter the throne room of a king.

Ryken, P. G., & Hughes, R. K. (2005). Exodus: saved for God’s glory (p. 501). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

At this moment near the foot of Mt. Sinai, God has promised to come and meet with the people. However, He will continue to establish His transcendence as well as His immanence.

Here is a question for YOU: How are you approaching worship?

1) God Comes Down

Remember, this exodus was all about God by his own volition for them to have fellowship with Him.

Exodus 19:4 “4 Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself.”

Notice what takes place before God comes down (v8)

God has a desire to be near His people.

It pleased God to hear of His people desiring to draw closer to Him.

He responds by drawing nigh to them.

God provides another theophany (an appearance of His divine presence) through clouds.

DON’T MISS THIS!

Any time God comes to His people, He has to COME DOWN.

The false gods of Egypt were nothing like God.

Neh. 9:13 “13 Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments:”

LISTEN....If God did not decide to come down to us, we would never be able to come to Him!

Here is GREAT NEWS!!!

God IS WILLING!

This DOES NOT mean He is removed from His transcendence.

He is at the same time both transcendent and Immanent.

Isa. 57:15 “15 For thus saith the high and lofty One That inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, With him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.”

To be honest, the entire Gospel Narrative is about God stooping down to restore fellowship with Him.

Matt. 1:23 “23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”

2) God Is Majestic & Holy

IMAGINE yourself with the people approaching the base of the mountain.

Illustration: The vastness of the Grand Canyon or the Rocky Mountains.

The distance that stood between them and God kept sinking in.

Even though God was concealing Himself, He was at the same time revealing Himself.

Quote: The more they experienced his immanence, the more they recognized his transcendence. [Ryken, P. G., & Hughes, R. K. (2005). Exodus: saved for God’s glory (p. 503). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.]

This concealment and revelation happened many times throughout Bible history.

Isaiah and the smoke surrounding the throne.

A bright cloud surround Jesus at His transfiguration.

Isa. 45:15 “15 Verily thou art a God that hidest thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour.”

God put severe limits on the people when it came to not touching His Holy mountain. (v12)

There had to be proper cleansing and a proper time when they would be permitted to come to the mountain.

Quote: John Calvin wrote: “We know how great is men’s natural curiosity, how frowardly they seek to penetrate the secrets of God, how daringly they indulge themselves, and how, by their irreverence, all religion and fear of God is extinguished in them; wherefore there was good cause why He should set these bounds, and restrain this perverse longing after unlawful knowledge.”

Ryken, P. G., & Hughes, R. K. (2005). Exodus: saved for God’s glory (p. 504). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

You might ask, “Is there something wrong with wanting to know more about God?” Not at all.

The sin is when the creature thinks they can demand the knowledge God is not willing to reveal.

God was also keeping them safe!

THINK ABOUT YOUR WORSHIP

This same God is the one you are approaching tonight!

You reverence and awe should never diminish

Heb. 12:28-29 “28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: 29 For our God is a consuming fire.”

3) The People’s Readiness

The people had a HUGE PROBLEM!

They were being drawn closer to God, but as you can see, I was very dangerous.

God provides a solution to keep them safe when they approach Him.

They were to clean their clothes.

Often times a changing of clothes symbolized the need of inward cleansing.

They needed to have a cleansing of sin before they approached God.

They were to refrain from any sexual intimacy

Their hearts and minds were not to be on the carnal, but rather preparing their hearts to hear God’s law.

God had demanded the people to approach Him with purity.

Here is an important truth humanity must believe....

Only the PURE can meet with God!

2 Cor. 7:1 “1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”

Psalm 24:3-4 “3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy place? 4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; Who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, Nor sworn deceitfully.”

Here is a humbling truth.....you can never make yourself pure enough! (Adam & Eve)

Isa. 64:6 “6 But we are all as an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; And we all do fade as a leaf; And our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”

God must come to you as you are so you can come to Him as His glory demands it. THANK GOD FOR JESUS AND HIS GOSPEL!