I'm sure, like me, you've grown up with an understanding that
when you're going to visit someone important, you get dressed
up.
Many of us here remember a time when people travelled on an
airplane, even for their holidays, and men would wear a suit
suit and ladies would wear dresses.
That was the standard of air travel back 30, 40, 50 years ago.
And of course, within the context of the church, go back 35
to 40 years, and children got a new outfit for Children's Day every
year, and that was the fanciest thing you would wear for
that following year.
The adult equivalent would be a wedding.
A new suit or dress would be bought, and those were the good clothes
that would then be worn to church or other special occasions.
And I remember it being told to me in early days that the example
would always be given.
Well, if you were going to visit the Queen of England, you dress
in your finest.
And so whenever a friend of ours who's a Church of Scotland minister,
was invited to spend a weekend with the Queen at Balmoral, as happens
every summer and still today to the King as the minister for the
weekend, we found something very different.
That when you want to spend personal time with the Queen of Scotland,
as she would be in Balmoral, you were told not to bring fancy
clothes.
She would take you out, our friend told us, in a Land Rover,
and you simply had to wear boots, jeans and a polo shirt, because
she would be racing along the roads of Balmoral and you never knew
where she would stop and what you'd have to do when you'd get out.
The only requirement for dress was whenever the minister would be
conducting worship at Crathy Kirk on the Sunday morning.
So to spend time with the Queen of Scotland as she would have
been then, you didn't have to dress up.
You simply came as you were and she received you.
Now, we do live in different times, and perhaps the amount of
money available for the fancy clothes that I mentioned just a moment
ago was limited 35 or 40 years.
And the fact that a lot of our clothing is now comparatively cheaper
than a few decades ago means that we can now have more and more
clothes and thunder fancier clothes than we did.
But we understand that we need really two sets of clothes.
We need clothes for everyday life, for work and everything else,
and we need clothes for those occasions where we need to look smarter.
We understand a sense of occasion that requires us to wear
clothes that we ordinarily wouldn't wear day to day.
Now, Exodus 19 isn't about wearing clothes, nor is it about
the argument about what clothes to wear and when.
But what it is about is a sense of occasion.
And the people of Israel need to step up or rise to that occasion.
And so the opening verses helpfully remind us of where the
children of Israel are.
It's been three months since they left Egypt and they entered
the desert of Sinai.
They now camp in front of Mount Sinai, a mountain that they
cannot ignore because of its size.
And they're also here being far enough away from Egypt so they
actually can take time to catch their breath and to rest.
I don't think many of us realize this, that chapter 19 of
Exodus begins at one year account of their time at Sinai and
throughout the rest of this book.
And as far as numbers chapter 10, they are here at the mountain
of God.
This is unusual for the Old Testament.
The Old Testament does not cover the period of a year, not just
in so many chapters, but in quite literally, effectively two
books of the Bible.
And so the 52 weeks that they spend at Mount Sinai are important
ones because it's going to be here that they are for formed as
a people and as a nation, community of God.
And this chapter presents two things to the people.
The first, between verses three to eight, present the people
the Lord's invitation.
The second thing then presented to the people in the rest
of the chapter is the Lord's requirement of holiness.
And so we begin with the first half, which is the Lord's invitation.
Moses is called up to meet with God.
He's to transcend the mountain.
And we've seen this before, that he goes before God on behalf
of the people to bring them back a message.
And they're first to remember what God has done for them.
Verse 4 reminds them of what they have experienced, what they've
seen as God rescued them from Egypt.
Here it's described to us as having God carrying them on eagle's
wings.
And this is a phrase that will be used again in the Old Testament
and communicates that they have come swiftly and safely to the
Lord's presence at Sinai.
Well, the invitation that the Lord wants to give his people comes
in verse five.
And I don't think this is making its way to the screen, so
you'll just have to follow along if you have your Bible there.
So verse 5 says, now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant,
then out of all nations, you will be my treasured possession.
The Lord is inviting them to be this wonderful phrase, his treasured
possession, possession.
God invites them into a covenant relationship.
And in that he describes their obligations as well as his obligations,
the people are already in a relationship with him.
And that goes back as far as the covenant with Abraham.
So what God is presenting here by way of what we call the Sinai
covenant does not replace what was given to Abraham, but it now
applies to the Israelites, a nation, not just to one person and
their family, but now to the whole nation.
And so God has already redeemed them from slavery and from
evil, and they did nothing of themselves to do this.
So this covenant is like a king who rescues a helpless people
and invites them to become his loyal subjects, with all the responsibilities
and benefits that such an invitation gives them.
The people will need to listen to the king.
That's what's here at the start of verse five.
But the king himself guarantees his ongoing care for them
at the end of the verse.
And the Lord makes it clear that this is an invitation for the
children of Israel, only this is not far and wide.
This is just for them.
Because he goes on to say at the end of verse five and into verse
six, although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom
of priests and a holy nation.
These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.
Now we get the sense in this verse that the Lord has looked across
the earth and found no other people group with him whom he could
establish his covenants.
And they accept, and they will be a nation who worships him, as
they know his great love of salvation towards them.
And it's later on in Scripture, in Deuteronomy, chapter
seven, that we get a greater understanding of what all of this
means, because we are told In Deuteronomy, chapter 7 and verses
7 to 8, the Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you
because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were
the fewest of all peoples.
But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore
to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand
and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the parents of Pharaoh,
king of Egypt.
It is truly amazing that through his great love, the Lord
remains with his rebellious people because of his love for them
and his promise to their forefathers.
And it is into this invitation that they must respond.
And as Moses goes back down the mountain to the children of Israel,
they agree positively and they commit themselves to the Lord.
And they affirm in verse eight, we will do everything the
Lord has said.
This is their affirmation.
Whatever God says, we will do.
We understand what this covenant is.
We understand our obligation to Him.
But we know his great promises to us.
And so Moses brought their answer back to the Lord.
Now this is what we would hope and expect them to do after everything
the Lord has done for them.
He has provided a way of salvation for them and he invites
them to love him in return.
And it's a wonderful invitation, and it's such an invitation
that still exists today.
Only the salvation God brought about to redeem people is not rescue
from Egypt and passage through the mighty waters of the Red Sea.
The invitation is to come to him because he has given us his one
and only Son, so that we can know true salvation for all eternity.
Let's remind ourselves of what this gospel truth is as we read it
in John chapter 3 and verse 16.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal
life.
Now, we're very familiar with this verse.
We see this verse up and down the country on the back of buses,
and as I've told you before, even the country rural roads of South
Armagh where it was cut into a hedge.
Just the reference, John 3.
And so just as God spoke of his love and he demonstrated it to
the children of Egypt or the children of Israel at Sinai, so today
we have his love demonstrated to us in Jesus Christ.
And the invitation is to have Christ only as our Savior.
And with this comes responsibilities, but it also comes
with benefits.
To receive the invitation of Christ is to know him only as Savior.
This means that we don't trust in our own merits or in our own intelligence.
It means we don't go after the pleasures of this world that only
want to pull us away from the salvation of God.
And when we do respond positively to the invitation of Christ,
then we are guaranteed eternal life, his presence in heaven forever.
And there's no other way to be sure of a heavenly home.
It is only through Christ.
The last Sunday in June in many ways marks the end of a year
of ministry and a year of teaching.
And today we will pause our studies in Exodus that we began in
September and we'll probably pick them up in a few years time.
But as we've gone through this book of the Old Testament each week
we have heard how great God is to his people and how he rescues
and how he saves them.
And the challenge has gone out from this pulpit to respond likewise.
And no passage so far in this book is as clear to this call to
respond to Christ as this one.
So why not respond to this today?
It's what Jesus invites us to do in Matthew 11:28, come to me.
Jesus says, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give
you rest.
In other words, Jesus says, I will give you eternal rest.
I will give you salvation.
Just as he did to the children of Israel at Sinai.
So he still offers.
Today we're invited to come to know Jesus and to know his salvation.
So why not respond to him today?
What's your excuse?
What's your reason?
Because I can guarantee whatever answer you would give if
it was in the negative.
You know as well as I know it's no excuse or reason at all.
In your mind, it's only convenience to stay the way you are
rather than accept the truth that is presented to us in Scripture.
You see, to respond to Jesus means that we must be intentional
about living.
For him to respond to Jesus means we place him above everything
else in our lives so that we can be sure of his great salvation.
And there will be much about this in the chapters to come.
But in chapter 19, we get our first understanding of what it means
to be his people and what is his requirements of holiness.
And this takes us into the second.
So as much as there is an invitation to come to Jesus to respond
to him today, and by the way, no excuse not to is ever good enough.
So we have to know what is his requirement of us.
His invitation of salvation is what he gives to us, but what is
our responsibility?
And so with the time that we have left, we're quickly going to
look what we're told with the people's positive response.
Moses returns to the Lord and is told that the Lord is coming or
is going to come down the mountain.
Now, this will mean that certain procedures will have to be
followed, because the truth that we must know is that God is
holy and God is pure, and no human, because of their sin, can
look upon him or touch him, or be in his presence as he truly is.
So the first thing we're told in verse nine is that he will come
in a dense cloud.
It was amazing how quickly the other day the sea fog just rolled
in from what was sunny weather till we could barely see anything
in front of us on Friday afternoon and evening.
And then, of course, as quickly as it came, it disappeared.
But imagine that cloud coming down and imagine it being thicker
so that you can't see, because the Lord will come in a way in the
dense cloud that will protect Moses and the people so that they
can't look upon him, because they cannot look upon him and live.
And from the cloud will come A voice.
And this voice is important because the Lord said to Moses in
verse nine, I'm going to come down to you in a dense cloud so that
the people will hear me speaking with you and will always
put their trust in you.
So there's going to be an active display here of who the Lord
has chosen to be his representative to the people.
And the people are not to question it, because the people will
hear the Lord speak to Moses and know that they are to follow
what he says, because what he has given comes straight from the
Lord.
And here's what Moses is told in verse 10.
The people are to prepare themselves for this moment, and this
comes in the word of consecration.
They are to consecrate themselves.
They're to cleanse themselves of ritual impurity.
Now, God's laws describes three basic states.
Impurity, purity, and holiness.
And most importantly, ritual impurity is never to come into contact
with ritual holiness.
And since the Lord is the ultimate expression of holiness,
those coming before him must cleanse themselves of ritual impurity.
So to use a modern example would be a doctor does not walk into
an operating room unless he or she has disinfected themselves and
is wearing all the appropriate clothing to.
To conduct that operation or procedure in a sterile environment
so that infection does not take over the body.
So Moses is to consecrate the people likewise by having them go
through typical activities for cleansing and for avoiding ritual
impurity.
So letting time pass, we're told it's going to be in three days.
They're to wash their clothes, a natural symbol of cleansing.
They're to avoid sexual contact, since those kind of relations
would result in ritual impurity.
And it shouldn't be difficult for the Israelites to realize that
if the Lord requires their ritual purity, how much more does
he likewise require their moral purity?
And so, as the people responded positively to the Lord's
gracious covenant invitation, so they dutifully follow his requirements.
And on the morning of the third day, the Lord makes his presence
known on the mountain.
The people go so far, and no more, to the foot of the mountain,
and they wait.
Verses 20 and 22 give us a repeat of the instructions that have
already been given.
And the people aren't to force their way through to see God as if
they could.
This is not a spectacle for them.
This is the presence of God coming near.
And a word is spoken about the priests.
They mustn't think, because of their position, that they have more
access to God than other people.
And so they are warned not to make a move beyond what God has said,
thinking that their position would allow them to.
And so the stage is now set for Moses and Aaron to receive from
God his commandments for the people as he establishes them as
a nation and directs them how they are to worship Him.
If you have your Bible open, just cast your eye down and you will
see that in chapter 20 of Exodus, we come to the Ten Commandments.
And that's where we'll pick this up in a year or two's time.
Now we're reading requirements from God.
They've come from him, they haven't come from man.
And as we read them and what he says to the people here at Sinai,
we might perceive them to be a little over the top.
But there's a key principle here for those who profess Christ
as Savior, who want to have a relationship with the Lord that these
children of Israel are invited to have.
But now that we can have through the same invitation, but
through Christ.
The truth is, God is holy.
And so as such, his people must approach him properly.
That's why Peter says what he does in First Peter, chapter one
and verses 15 and 16, quoting truths from passages in Leviticus
and from Exodus, Peter says, but just as he who called you is
holy, so be holy in all you do.
For it is written, be holy because I am holy.
Now, it is very easy to say we are Christians, but we treat it as
a label without having much meaning.
We use it because it's convenient and it's seen as an acceptable
thing to say.
But there are responsibilities to being his people.
There are responsibilities to being Christians.
You can't just say you're a Christian and then not live by his
standard.
R.C.
Sproul writes in his book the Holiness of God.
This is a fantastic phrase, that sin is cosmic treason.
Sin is cosmic treason.
Now, we know there's a day coming up in July, I think it's the
fourth of July, that the Americans like to call American Independence
Day.
For those of us on this island, we like to call it Treason
Day, because that's the day they threw the tea into the sea and
it made it undrinkable even for Americans.
So we on these British Isles know what treason is when countries
reject the rule of the British Crown.
But how much more is sin cosmic treason?
Against God, defying him, rebelling against him, thinking we
know better?
And we often treat sin lightly because we measure it against ourselves
or against the standards of the world.
But holiness means measuring ourselves against God.
Every act of disobedience is not merely breaking a rule, but rebelling
against the King who has called us to be his people.
If this is how you're living, then the question in reality is if
you are truly saved.
Because the Lord requires us to be holy as he is holy, and to
live holy as God is holy requires separating ourselves from
those sinful passions that characterized our lives before we
came to know Christ.
It means distancing ourselves from the lifestyle that used to dominate
our existence.
It means cutting ourselves off from whatever will desensitize us
to sin or blur our spiritual vision or stir up our sinful nature.
If we claim the name of Christ on our lives, then we must live as
he did.
We will not be perfect, certainly not.
And we will fall into sin.
But God's grace is enough if we are sincere in our desire to live
for him each day.
The invitation of the Lord and His requirement for holy living is
demonstration of his goodness to us and a guarantee for us of eternal
life.
And our appropriate response is to follow him, just as the disciples
did and every follower of Jesus has done ever since.
And you know, maybe we like the idea of the invitation, but in
reality we find it hard to live holy lives because the devil
keeps presenting temptation upon temptation upon us.
Well, know this day that the Lord is enough for you.
Look to him alone, hide his word in your heart, and take comfort
in how he instructs and teaches you each day.
Paul tells us in 2nd Corinthians 12:9 that we all need
to know this, that Christ is all we need for this day.
As he quotes Jesus as he says it said to him, my grace is sufficient
for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.
So why not respond this day to Jesus?
Why not come to him with his gracious invitation?
And maybe you think you can't do it.
Maybe you think it's too much.
Maybe you think the sin is too heavy.
And if you're a believer, maybe you think that sin at the moment
is weighty upon you.
Well, trust the words of Jesus that His grace and his grace alone
is sufficient for you.
For it is his power that is made perfect in our weaknesses when
we look to Him.
The Lord's invitation is to come to Jesus.
And the Lord's requirement of us is holiness.
Not that we will ever be truly holy or perfect, but that indeed
we will know we are truly saved for his glory and his glory
alone.
And that we will enjoy all of the benefits and the guarantees that
this new covenant through the blood of Jesus gives us as we look
ever to Christ.
So May you fix your eyes on him and none other this day and respond
to him in a way that is appropriate so that you will live
for him truly.
Let's pray.
Our Father, God, this day we thank you.
We thank you for your goodness to us in your word.
We thank you for what it teaches us.
We thank you for how it challenges us.
And so we ask that you would forgive us for whenever we have allowed
other things to distract us, to take us away from what is right
and what is the most important living relationship with Jesus Christ.
So, Father, today may we respond well to the invitation, but
maybe also respond well to your requirement of holiness to us.
Thank you.
That we don't do it in our own strength, but that as we look to
Christ, so it is his strength that carries us through.
So for our weary and burdened souls, souls that are heavy with
guilt and regret, souls that are questioning if this salvation
is really worth it.
Father, convince us and convict us through your word and
by your Holy Spirit, that indeed life with Christ is better
than anything we can know.
So may we come onto Christ this day and know him truly as our
Savior.
And it's in his name we pray.
Amen.