Learning Lordship
Exodus • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 2 viewsExodus 19 is a transition chapter; the Israelites are a delivered people, but God did not bring them out of Egypt for them to remain unchanged. Here, we see God introduce Himself, calling the nation to acknowledge a necessary shift from Rescued to Re-named to Redirected.
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1 In the third month after the sons of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that very day they came into the wilderness of Sinai.
2 When they set out from Rephidim, they came to the wilderness of Sinai and camped in the wilderness; and there Israel camped in front of the mountain.
3 Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the sons of Israel:
4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings, and brought you to Myself.
5 ‘Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine;
6 and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel.”
7 So Moses came and called the elders of the people, and set before them all these words which the Lord had commanded him.
8 All the people answered together and said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do!” And Moses brought back the words of the people to the Lord.
9 The Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will come to you in a thick cloud, so that the people may hear when I speak with you and may also believe in you forever.” Then Moses told the words of the people to the Lord.
10 The Lord also said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments;
11 and let them be ready for the third day, for on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.
12 “You shall set bounds for the people all around, saying, ‘Beware that you do not go up on the mountain or touch the border of it; whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death.
13 ‘No hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot through; whether beast or man, he shall not live.’ When the ram’s horn sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain.”
14 So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and consecrated the people, and they washed their garments.
15 He said to the people, “Be ready for the third day; do not go near a woman.”
16 So it came about on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunder and lightning flashes and a thick cloud upon the mountain and a very loud trumpet sound, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled.
17 And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.
18 Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the Lord descended upon it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently.
19 When the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and God answered him with thunder.
20 The Lord came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain; and the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.
21 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, “Go down, warn the people, so that they do not break through to the Lord to gaze, and many of them perish.
22 “Also let the priests who come near to the Lord consecrate themselves, or else the Lord will break out against them.”
23 Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai, for You warned us, saying, ‘Set bounds about the mountain and consecrate it.’ ”
24 Then the Lord said to him, “Go down and come up again, you and Aaron with you; but do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the Lord, or He will break forth upon them.”
25 So Moses went down to the people and told them.
INTRO: Have you ever read a book and then watched a movie based on the book? How often do you find that there are parts of the book not in the movie or parts that the movie tries to encompass, but it seems awkward?
The book of Exodus is a remarkable narrative, but so often our focus is on the first 15 chapters. And we love those chapters- they make great stories in our children’s curriculum - who doesn’t love talking about Moses in a basket, the ten plagues, or the parting of the Red Sea?
Once the Israelites are out of Egypt, there is a different tension that can be hard to capture cinematically and difficult to explain in a classroom of kindergartners. But Exodus has 40 chapters! So after all that cool action, there are still 25 chapters worth of God-breathed wisdom for the church to lean into.
It’s a season of testing and growth for the Israelites. We’ve already looked at some of the lessons God taught them- learning to trust God and learning good leadership principles. As we enter chapter 19 today, we begin to really see Israel in a period of transition / change. This is a pivotal section of Scripture. The chapters that follow will tease out the details from the foundation which we uncover today.
But today, we will try to wrap our minds around the lesson that God is showing us through Israel’s experience. We will do that by breaking down the first 6 verses and using the rest of the chapter to illuminate them.
The Israelites had traversed to the foot of Mt. Sinai… this is the same mountain, called Horeb or the Mountain of God earlier in chapter 3. The fact that they are here reveals God’s faithfulness to Moses. (Exodus 3:12 “12 And He said, “Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain.”” )
So they were in the right place. And I believe that you too are in the right place this morning as we prepare our hearts to hear the word of the Lord.
The message is titled, Learning Lordship. Lordship is the way in which God’s people should respond to Him. So let us learn together the path to Lordship. If you have a bulletin, there is a sermon guide on the inside that you can use to follow along.
The Israelites were learning two major lessons: Who God is and who they were. We will look at each point from the perspective of Who We Are because of Who God is.
So, Because of Who God is, We are:
Rescued (4)
Rescued (4)
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God is speaking- and emphasizing that He alone rescued Israel from the oppression of Egypt. They witnessed it. They saw God’s judgment and experienced His mercy. “You yourselves...”
Not your parents, not your ancestors. Not in ancient history, YOU yourselves were delivered!
By God himself. “I bore you” This was not a coincidence, this was not a great battle and the Israelites mustered up the courage and strength to escape the bondage. NO, God did the work! God personally intervened in their situation, which, BTW, was absolutely hopeless otherwise.
“I bore you on eagles wings...” When we see this language in scripture, it signals a merciful rescue from an impossible situation. The prophet Isaiah offers us a similar picture:
27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and assert, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord, And the justice due me escapes the notice of my God”?
28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable.
29 He gives strength to the weary, And to him who lacks might He increases power.
30 Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly,
31 Yet those who wait for the Lord Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.
What mercy and grace the Lord shows to those who call upon Him! This is BEFORE He gave the Law- that’s coming over the several next chapters. Look here, God did not call down to the Israelites and say, “Keep the Law and if you can do that, then I will rescue you from this oppression.”
No, He intervened! He brought them OUT of Egypt! And look at the end of v.4, “...and brought you to Myself”
You see, God did not simply take them out of oppression. He brought them to himself- that they could know Him, and by knowing Him they would be changed; set apart from all the world. He led them to the mountain where He would help them see that He is a God like no other… A God of grace and holiness.
And so the people, being rescued and set apart were to consecrate themselves (10) as they anticipated meeting God. They were to clean themselves, wash their clothes, get rid of the reminder that they were slaves because they were slaves not longer!
I cannot help but to see the foreshadowing of the cross in this passage. While we were yet sinners, enemies of God, destined for Hell with no hope of salvation, God personally intervened! He stepped into His creation and He himself BORE ME. He Himself took the penalty for my sins and invited me to know Him. I could do nothing. Ephesians 2:8–9 “8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Before I knew Him, He intervened in my desperate situation. Before you knew Him, He provided for your rescue! And through the Holy Spirit, He invited you and me to know Him. John 6:44 “44 “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.”
The Israelites knew that they had been rescued from Egypt, but God was teaching them that He rescued them TO Himself. And that brings about the biggest shift we see in this passage from Rescued to:
Re-named (5)
Re-named (5)
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“Now then”- maybe your bible says ‘therefore.’ Now that their rescue from Egypt is complete, the Israelites would learn what it meant to belong to God. You see, God was preparing them to receive the covenant as His people. He was giving them a new name. They were no longer slaves in Egypt. Now they were God’s own possession or literally that phrase means “special treasure.”
Think about this: they were going from being devalued as people- mistreated, hated, etc. in Egypt, to being the Holy God of heaven’s special treasure. That phrase that means special treasure is often used in the OT when speaking of an heir to the family’s property, business, etc. So I want you to see the picture here- The nation of Israel was being called by God to receive their new identity as sons, heirs of God, in obedience to God.
“If you obey My voice and keep my covenant...”
They were purchased by God from their oppression and now, being called by a new name, were brought to the foot of the mountain where God would descend and the people would be introduced to Him. And this was a spectacular scene- Moses made a border that no one could cross. He drew lines- God’s holiness demands that they come to Him on His terms. If anyone crossed the border, they would lose their life.
Before the Law was given, the people needed to understand that Yahweh, having given them a new name, required them to demonstrate their obedience. He would sound a horn, calling them to the foot of the mountain where the whole mountain would tremble, the fire of God would produce a cloud of smoke, illustrating the absolute purity and righteousness that burns up all that is unworthy. (18)
And the trumpet got louder and louder and the people saw the smoke and heard the thundering voice of God Almighty and they quaked with fear. They necessarily must obey God. They could not be passive; this encounter demonstrated that God is not only worthy of obedience, but disobedience equalled death.
Here’s the thing- You cannot know God and belong to Him and not be changed. Israel was called from slave to son and their lives needed to reflect that in obedience to God’s voice. God didn’t need Israel, but He chose them. The whole earth belongs to Him! He isn’t lonely or poor, but He is compassionate and He called them to be His people out of all the people on earth.
And through Jesus Christ, you and I have been invited to be grafted in as sons and daughters as well. And here I want you to lean in for a minute. You see, I believe that modern Christianity is full of people who want the rescue, but they do not want the “now then” part. They like the idea of being delivered and they like the idea of heaven, but they do not like the ‘therefore’ parts of Scripture.
In the letter to the Ephesians, we just read that we are saved by grace through faith! But the very next verse Eph. 2:10
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
Actually, we can read on and see that as we understand our new name and identity in Christ, we are commissioned in Ephesians 4:1, “...to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,”
In the book of Romans, we see 11 chapters explaining to the saints the beauty and blessing of the gospel and in chapter 12, Romans 12:1 “1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”
Jesus said in Luke 6:46–49 “46 “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? 47 “Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: 48 he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. 49 “But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.””
Church, hear me this morning, if you have been RESCUED through the blood of Christ from the condemnation of your sins, then you are RENAMED a child of God that your life would be one of OBEDIENCE to God. That your life would look radically different than those whose name has not been changed.
Rescued, Re-named, and finally as we look to v. 6, the people of God were:
Redirected (6a)
Redirected (6a)
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This new identity has a function. There are two aspects here - A kingdom of priests and a holy nation. The holy nation part we’ve partly dealt with. So let’s look at what it means that Israel was called a kingdom of priests.
A priest is one who mediates between God and men. Specifically, we might think of how they would bring offerings and sacrifices before God on behalf of others. But God said they were to be a kingdom of priests. So this is something different than what He would ask of Aaron’s line, but it would be modeled by Aaron and the priests.
In v. 21-25, we see the mediation being modeled. In God’s mercy, he instructed Moses and Aaron to not only draw lines at the foot of the mountain that the people should not cross, but He made them go back down and shepherd them- reminding them of God’s holiness and the severity of an apathetic response to God’s law. They started with one rule- be sure to obey this boundary lest you die.
This reminds me of Adam and Eve- one rule- the Word of God- that Adam was to lead Eve to take seriously. Adam failed to mediate that Law and the results were tragic.
So, think about this: Up to this point, the Israelites were living to survive. The were slaves and as slaves, they lived by other’s laws, worked for purposes they could not enjoy, ate what they were allotted, and just followed orders. But now they were free.
They would have to start a government from scratch. They needed to build an economy from scratch. God was going to give them all they needed and this new direction would be so radically different from the rest of the world that people would definitely notice.
Priests mediate God’s Law; and as a kingdom of priests, the nation of Israel was called to do this through their stewardship of life. Everything they did- how they lived, how they treated each other and foreigners, how they went to war, how they did business, adjudicated disagreements, celebrated, raised their children, what they communicated - all of their lives would express the character of God to other kingdoms.
In the new covenant, the church is also called a kingdom of priests. Let me read from 1 Peter 2:1-10
1 Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander,
2 like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation,
3 if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.
4 And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God,
5 you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
6 For this is contained in Scripture: “Behold, I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone, And he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.”
7 This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve, “The stone which the builders rejected, This became the very corner stone,”
8 and, “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense”; for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed.
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
10 for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Like Israel, you have been rescued. The price has already been paid for your sins. If you call upon the name of the Lord, you will be saved. Thus, you will be renamed and redirected to live your life unto the Lord as His special treasure.
This, we call Lordship. Adrian Rogers used to say, “He’s either Lord of all or He isn’t Lord at all.”
Have you surrendered all your life to Jesus?
[PRAY]
Discuss: Why do you think God required the people to consecrate themselves before meeting Him (v.10–11)?
Discuss: What role does obedience play in affirming God's Lordship in Exodus 19?
Discuss: How does the concept of being a “kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (v.6) relate to God's Lordship?
