God Reached Out And Spoke

SERMON OUTLINE

• I. God Reached Out
• II. God Spoke

TRANSCRIPT

In our last message, we have considered how God descended on Mount Sinai. And the moment God did that, the whole mountain was unapproachable because of His presence. The people could not climb up the mountain or even touch it — otherwise, they would die. That was a picture of the vast distance between the Creator and His creation.

Remember the example I gave to you about how some churches would emphasise that God is exalted above all and separated from everything He has made. His holiness and majesty are beyond what our finite minds can ever comprehend. Therefore, we have to approach Him with great fear and trembling. While other churches would emphasise that God wants to have a close relationship with His people. He wants us to experience His personal presence in our lives. Therefore, we have to approach Him with great assurance and confidence. It is true that God is supremely holy and majestic. And it is also true that God wants to have a close relationship with us. Both of these things are true about God. The problem is that most churches tend to emphasise one at the expense of the other.

Despite His supreme glory, holiness, and majesty — God had provided a way for the people to come to Him. Firstly, through preparing themselves. They must realize that they were meeting the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Therefore, they had to be consecrated. The people were commanded to wash their clothes, which was a symbol of true spiritual condition in the heart. Secondly, they must have a mediator; someone to represent them before God. And the work of the mediator was to sanctify the people. Though Moses acted as Israel’s mediator, obviously, he could not sanctify them; he did not have the power to do that. Even he himself needed to be sanctified. So, Moses had to perform an animal sacrifice. And through the blood of the unblemished lamb, the people including Moses were sanctified. Only then could they approach God.

Dear friend, that is a picture of how you and I can and should approach God as well. We are coming to meet the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. And we need to be consecrated and sanctified; to be pure and righteous. On our own, we can never do that. But through our Mediator — the Lord Jesus Christ — through His death and the shedding of His precious blood, we are sanctified. And on that basis, we can approach God.

Today, we want to focus on God reaching out and speaking to His people. The title of our message is ‘God Reached Out and Spoke’.

I. God Reached Out

Firstly, we want to consider how: ‘God Reached Out’.

The children of Israel obeyed the commandments. And on the third day, they were ready to meet God. Anxiously, they waited for that moment to come. Verse 16, Exodus chapter 19, “And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled. And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet… God; and they stood at the nether part [which means at the foot] of the mount”. Verse 18, “And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon it [on] fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly”. When God descended on the mountain, it was a spectacular display of His divine glory through the forces and power of nature; it was something the people had never seen before.

Whenever we experience an earthquake, we are extremely shaken right? When we see the lightning followed by the thunder — immediately we crouch, shut our eyes and ears because it is so terrifying. When we see a thick cloud like smoke covering the sky so much so that it is darkened, we are amazed. When we see the intense fire burning like in a hot furnace, obviously, we are frightened. What happens when we see a combination of all the forces and power of nature occurring all at the same time? Most certainly, we would tremble in a way that words can never describe right?

Notice there was lightning, thunder, darkness, smoke, earthquake, and fire all happening at the same time. So naturally, the people trembled in great fear. How could they not be fearful? They were scared to death. Even Moses, as brave as he was, was fearful and terrified. How do we know? We know this not from Exodus but from the Book of Hebrews chapter 12, verse 21. Let me read for you, “And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake”.

So, you can imagine all the rumbling beneath the earth — the earthquake; the sight of the lightning; the sound of the thunder striking across the sky; the fire like from a fiery hot furnace; thick clouds like smoke darkening the sky. But in the midst of all that happening, there was the sweet sound of the trumpet; slowly getting louder and louder. As the first part of verse 19 tells us, “And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder…”. Remember God had already told the people no one could come up the mountain or even touch it until they heard the sound of the trumpet. So, to hear the sound of the trumpet was most sweet and comforting.

Here, it was an amazing picture of the awesomeness of God. And yet — in spite of His unapproachable presence — He reached out with His hand, as it were, through the sound of the trumpet and beckoned the people to come to Him. The people did not actually see God; all they saw was the outward manifestation of His presence revealed in nature. But it was enough to scare the wits out of them. Remember the whole purpose of the Exodus was to reveal the glory of God. The children of Israel had already seen glimpses of God’s glory in the Ten Plagues; in the opening of the Red Sea; in their salvation from Egypt; in the pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night. But here, they saw a glimpse of His glorious presence in the combination of all the forces and power of nature. You can imagine when they saw it, whatever trivial ideas they have had in the past about God would disappear in that instant and they would be prostrating on the ground before Him.

Dear friend, God is invisible. Although we do not see His visible glory now — that does not mean His glory is not there. The same God we worship and serve is the same God who revealed Himself on that holy mountain in the combination of the forces and power of nature; in the midst of lightning, thunder, darkness, smoke, earthquake, and fire.

This is a reminder to all of us that each time we come before God, we must remember His awesomeness. In spite of His unapproachable presence, He beckons us to come to Him through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So, we must never come with a careless and haphazard attitude as most people would do; as they drag their feet to church on Sundays; as they say to themselves, “Oh, it is just but another Lord’s Day. What’s the difference?”; as they come whenever they feel like it or whenever it is convenient for them. Please, do not do that. We are coming before an awesome God who is supremely glorious, holy, and majestic.

God is omnipresent. There’s never a moment whereby we are not in His presence. But He has chosen a special time and place for all of us to meet Him. Just as the Israelites gathered at the foot of the mountain, we gather ourselves in the church to meet our God. We feel His presence descending upon the church as we sing the hymns, read the Holy Scriptures, pray, and worship. But one day, when God descends for the last time to judge the earth — He will come in all His visible glory. Matthew 24, verse 30 says, “…[When] the Son of man [comes] in the clouds of heaven [He will come] with power and great glory”. And there will be the “great sound of [the] trumpet…” (Matthew 24:31).

Sadly today, we live in a day and age whereby people have strange and trivial ideas about God. Some think of Him as some kind of a cosmic force. Some people call Him the one living “upstairs” and they would make unworthy remarks about Him; calling Him the kind old man. God forbids! You and I must perish in our minds, in our hearts, those unworthy ideas about God. He is the One Living and True God that even the entire universe cannot contain Him; yet He chose to reach out to us through His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. How can we not be grateful? God reached out to us.

II. God Spoke

Our second point is: ‘God Spoke’.

But the miraculous display of His divine glory, the combined forces and power of nature, was not only to manifest His glory; that was not the only purpose. It was also to prove that God was speaking. He was speaking through His servant Moses. This was extremely important because soon God would be giving His Law to the people, as in the Ten Commandments. We will cover that in the next chapter.

Can you imagine if God had not displayed His glory on Mount Sinai? The prophet Moses would have gone up the mountain and then come down again with the Law. And the people would be wondering; they would not be certain if this was really God’s Law or simply Moses’ law. Have you ever questioned, “Is this really the Word of God? Or are these just the words of the prophets of old and the disciples of Christ? Has God really spoken?” In a similar fashion — without the miraculous signs — the people would be wondering, “Has God really spoken?” If God did not speak to Moses then He has not spoken to us.

So before the Bible was completed, the signs and wonders were necessary to authenticate that God has spoken and these were really the words of God. Today, the Bible is completed. We have the canon of the Holy Scriptures. So signs and wonders were no longer necessary. How do we know the Bible is truly the words of God and that God had spoken? As we read the Bible, all the miraculous signs mentioned in this Book authenticate its divine nature; and the Holy Spirit will do the work of illumination and conviction in our hearts so that you and I may believe that the Bible is truly the Word of God.

But God did not speak only to Moses privately; the children of Israel were able to hear Him as He spoke. How do we know? If you can turn with me to Deuteronomy 5, which is a parallel chapter to Exodus 20. Let us look at Deuteronomy 5:4. Moses said, “The Lord [talk] with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire”. Look down to verse 22, “These words the Lord spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice… And it came to pass, when ye heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, (for the mountain did burn with fire,) that ye came near unto me, even all the heads of your tribes, and your elders” (Deuteronomy 5:23). Verse 24, “And ye said, Behold, the Lord our God hath shewed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God [does speak] with man, and he [live].”

So God displayed those miraculous signs, and He allowed the Israelites to hear His voice as He spoke to prove to them that ultimately the Law came from Him. The Lord has spoken.

Let us return to our text in Exodus 19, verse 20, “And the Lord came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the Lord called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up”. And then God repeated the warning again from verses 21-23 that no man could come up to Mount Sinai; no man should go beyond the boundaries, otherwise they’ll be killed. Moses said to God in verse 23, “[the people already knew about this warning, they will not cross the boundaries]”. Why did God repeat the same warning again? Sometimes the Bible repeats itself for emphasis. But here — there’s a difference between verses 12 and 13, and verses 21 and 23. In the preceding verses, God simply gave the command. But notice in verse 21, God gave the reason; and the reason was so that the people would not break through and gaze upon His glory.

You see, God knew the depravity of men’s heart and that they would be tempted to barge into His presence. They might be wondering, “Why only Moses can come up to the mountain? If Moses can, so can we.” — God knows better. When it comes to obeying His Law, they may obey the first time but soon they will forget.

Isn’t it true when we read the Bible, we see the commandments and promises of God being repeatedly told to us? Sometimes they are for emphasis. At other times, because we always forget. Some people would say to the pastor, “I’ve heard this message before. Why do you always have to repeat it again and again?” — Because as humans, we always forget. We may listen and not obey. Or we may listen and obey the first time. And then we forget. And we need to be reminded. And then we forget. And we need to be reminded again. And again and again.

For the first time, the priests were mentioned. Verse 22, “And let the priests also, which come near to the Lord, sanctify themselves, lest the Lord break [through] upon them. At this point in time, the priesthood structure had not yet been established. So who were these priests? Remember the children of Israel were commanded to keep the ceremonies like the Passover, so each family had to perform an animal sacrifice; and the head of the family was responsible to do that. Therefore most theologians believe that this was a vague priesthood system whereby all these heads of the family were called priests.

But God was preparing Aaron for the priesthood structure which would be established subsequently. How do we know? Look at verse 24, “And the Lord said unto [Moses], Away, get thee down, and thou shalt come up, thou, and Aaron with thee: but let not the priests and the people break through to come up unto the Lord, lest he break forth [unto] them”. The original words for “break through” and “break forth” are two different words. To “break through” means ‘to budge’. To “break forth” means ‘to break’, as in ‘to destroy’. In other words, do not budge through; if you do that, you will be destroyed.

God was preparing Aaron for his ministry as the high priest. Therefore together with Moses, he was permitted to go up the holy mountain and meet God. Later on, Aaron would do the same thing in the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle would be built; the people would keep their distance, away from the boundaries of God’s presence represented by the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies. But only one man — the high priest — could go in and meet God.

Essentially, Moses served as the people’s prophet. Aaron served as the people’s high priest. And later on, David served as the people’s king. Do you realize that all these three offices were fulfilled by one man? Jesus Christ was the Prophet with the capital P. Jesus Christ was the Great High Priest. And Jesus Christ was the Greater David, as in He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

Today, we do not need anyone to represent us before God. We do not need to go to the confession box like the Roman Catholics. We have Jesus Christ — our Great High Priest — ministering on our behalf at every moment of our lives; interceding for us even at this moment. And as the Great High Priest, He was unlike Aaron who was not all-knowing and was limited in his understanding of the people’s needs. Jesus is all-knowing; He understands what you and I are going through. Jesus was the eternal Son of God who became the Son of Man; He experienced what we have experienced so He understands. But with one exception: He is all-knowing. He is perfect, without sin. As Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin”.

Dear friend, are you troubled by the trials of life? Are you worried about the adverse circumstances that surround you? Are you struggling with certain sins that you find so hard to overcome? Jesus reaches out to you. He beckons you. He speaks to you in a sweet and comforting voice, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Would you not come to Him?

Do you remember the hymn we used to sing, “[I must tell Jesus] I must tell Jesus all of my trials, I cannot bear these burdens alone; In my distress He kindly will help me, He ever loves and cares for His own”. It was written by Elisha Hoffman who was a pastor. One day, Hoffman was visiting one of the sisters in his church who was in great distress and sorrow. In her desperation she cried out, “What shall I do? What shall I do?”. Hoffman replied, “You cannot do better than to take it all to Jesus. You must tell Jesus!”. For a moment, she seemed lost in deep thoughts. Then her face glowed, her eyes lighted up, and with great joy she exclaimed, “I must tell Jesus! Yes, I must tell Jesus!”. Later on as Hoffman left the house, he was so amazed how these four words could transform a troubled soul and bring about a face so illumined with great joy. And it inspired him to write this hymn: ‘I Must Tell Jesus [I Must Tell Jesus]’.

Dear friend, God reaches out to you. He knows everything you’re going through. He speaks to you through His Word. Whatever trials; afflictions; sufferings; bereavement; troubles that you are going through — you cannot do better than to take it all to Jesus. You must tell Him, as the hymn says, “I must tell Jesus! I must tell Jesus!”. May the Lord comfort your hearts and also remind each and every one of us here: we are approaching an awesome, supremely holy, and glorious God. Despite His unapproachable presence, He reached out to us and He speaks with a sweet and comforting voice.

Let us pray. Our Father in Heaven, Thou hast taught us tonight about Thy awesomeness. Even the entire universe cannot contain Thee. Yet Thou would choose to reveal Thy glory to us and reach out to us through Thy only begotten Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. May we always remember that each time we come before Thee — whether as a church; as an individual — we are coming into the presence of the all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-present God. Thou hast spoken to us through Thy Word; the Bible which we hold in our hands. Remind us through Thy Word. Because oftentimes, we listen and not obey. Or we listen and obey the first time and soon we forget. Forgive us. Be patient with us.

We praise Thee for our Lord and Savior who is our Great High Priest. Because of Him — we have no fears nor doubts whenever we face troubles, afflictions, struggles, or bereavement. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, He will comfort us; He is able to help us. Therefore we come to Him. And we tell Him all our troubles. We do not need anyone to represent us before Him. We come before Him and tell Him all of our troubles. And He ever cares and loves His own. Praise be to Thee. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

THE BOOK OF EXODUS

God’s Prophecy and Promise Had Come To Pass

God’s Prophecy and Promise Had Come To Pass

Exodus 1:1-7

From Prosperity to Persecution

From Prosperity to Persecution

Exodus 1:8-14

God’s Protection in the Midst of Adversities

God’s Protection in the Midst of Adversities

Exodus 1:15-21

The Faith of Jochebed

The Faith of Jochebed

Exodus 1:22-2:10

Moses in Egypt

Moses in Egypt

Exodus 2:11-15

Moses in the Desert of Midian

Moses in the Desert of Midian

Exodus 2:16-25

Moses and the Burning Bush

Moses and the Burning Bush

Exodus 3:1-9

Who Are You?

Who Are You?

Exodus 3:10-15

Who Am I?

Who Am I?

Exodus 3:10-15

God’s Message to Israel and Egypt

God’s Message to Israel and Egypt

Exodus 3:16-22

What If They Still Don’t Believe?

What If They Still Don’t Believe?

Exodus 4:1-9

Send Someone Else

Send Someone Else

Exodus 4:10-17

Moses’ Return to Egypt

Moses’ Return to Egypt

Exodus 4:18-20

When Things Seemed to Get Better, They Got Worse

When Things Seemed to Get Better, They Got Worse

Exodus 5:10-21

When We Have Done Everything Right, and Yet Trouble Comes

When We Have Done Everything Right, and Yet Trouble Comes

Exodus 5:22-6:5

Having to Learn the Same Lesson Twice

Having to Learn the Same Lesson Twice

Exodus 6:6-12

Faithful or Unfaithful

Faithful or Unfaithful

Exodus 6:13-27

What God Wants Is Our Faithfulness and Obedience

What God Wants Is Our Faithfulness and Obedience

Exodus 6:28-7:7

The First Plague - The River of Blood

The First Plague - The River of Blood

Exodus 7:14-25

The Second Plague - The Frogs

The Second Plague - The Frogs

Exodus 8:1-15

The Third Plague

The Third Plague

Exodus 8:16-19

The Fourth Plague

The Fourth Plague

Exodus 8:20-32

The Fifth Plague

The Fifth Plague

Exodus 9:1-7

The Sixth Plague

The Sixth Plague

Exodus 9:8-12

The Seventh Plague

The Seventh Plague

Exodus 9:13-35

The Eighth Plague

The Eighth Plague

Exodus 10:1-20

The Tenth Plague

The Tenth Plague

Exodus 11:1-10

The First Passover

The First Passover

Exodus 12:1-13

The Feast of the Unleavened Bread

The Feast of the Unleavened Bread

Exodus 12:14-28

Departure From Egypt

Departure From Egypt

Exodus 12:29-42

This Do In Remembrance of Me

This Do In Remembrance of Me

Exodus 12:43-51; 1 Corinthians 11:23-32

Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!

Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!

Exodus 12:48-49, Colossians 2:11-12

Redemption and Consecration

Redemption and Consecration

Exodus 13:1-2, 11-16

Precious Lord, Take My Hand

Precious Lord, Take My Hand

Exodus 13:17-22

Between the Desert and the Red Sea

Between the Desert and the Red Sea

Exodus 14:1-14

Crossing the Red Sea

Crossing the Red Sea

Exodus 14:15-31

The Song of Praise

The Song of Praise

Exodus 15:1-21

Will You Obey Or Not?

Will You Obey Or Not?

Exodus 15:22-27

The Danger of a Complaining Spirit

The Danger of a Complaining Spirit

Exodus 16:1-3

God’s Response to Israel’s Complaints

God’s Response to Israel’s Complaints

Exodus 16:1-10

The Test of Faith

The Test of Faith

Exodus 16:11-20

Lessons About the Sabbath

Lessons About the Sabbath

Exodus 16:21-36

Do Not Test God

Do Not Test God

Exodus 17:1-17

Lift Up Your Hands

Lift Up Your Hands

Exodus 17:8-16

The Blessedness of Reunion

The Blessedness of Reunion

Exodus 18:1-12

Why Do We Have Leaders?

Why Do We Have Leaders?

Exodus 18:13-27

I Will Carry You On Eagles’ Wings

I Will Carry You On Eagles’ Wings

Exodus 19:1-6

Approach God Fearlessly or Fearfully

Approach God Fearlessly or Fearfully

Exodus 19:7-15

God Reached Out And Spoke

God Reached Out And Spoke

Exodus 19:16-25

Thou Shalt Have No Other Gods

Thou Shalt Have No Other Gods

Exodus 20:1-3

Thou Shalt Not Make Graven Images

Thou Shalt Not Make Graven Images

Exodus 20:4-6

Thou Shalt Not Dishonour God’s Name

Thou Shalt Not Dishonour God’s Name

Exodus 20:7

Thou Shalt Keep The Sabbath Day

Thou Shalt Keep The Sabbath Day

Exodus 20:8-11

Honour Thy Father And Thy Mother

Honour Thy Father And Thy Mother

Exodus 20:12

Thou Shalt Not Kill

Thou Shalt Not Kill

Exodus 20:13

Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery

Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery

Exodus 20:14

Thou Shalt Not Steal

Thou Shalt Not Steal

Exodus 20:15

Thou Shalt Not Lie

Thou Shalt Not Lie

Exodus 20:16

Thou Shalt Not Covet

Thou Shalt Not Covet

Exodus 20:17

The Response To The Ten Commandments

The Response To The Ten Commandments

Exodus 20:18-21

How God Wants Us To Worship Him

How God Wants Us To Worship Him

Exodus 20:22-26

Why Would God Allow Slavery?

Why Would God Allow Slavery?

Exodus 21:1-11

The Punishment Fits The Crime — a life for a life [Part 1]

The Punishment Fits The Crime — a life for a life [Part 1]

Exodus 21:12-17

If Thy Presence Go Not with Me, Carry Us Not Up Hence

If Thy Presence Go Not with Me, Carry Us Not Up Hence

Exodus 33:12-23