So if you've got your Bibles or devices, open them up to chapter 19 in Exodus, starting at verse 1.
On the first day of the third month, after the Israelites left Egypt, on that very day, they came to the desert of Sinai.
After they set out from Rephidim, they entered the desert of Sinai, and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain.
Then Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain and said,
This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel.
You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself.
Now, if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.
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.
So Moses went back and summoned the elders of the people and set before them all the words the Lord had commanded him to speak.
The people all responded together,
We will do everything the Lord has said.
So Moses brought their answer back to the Lord.
The Lord said to Moses,
I am going to come to you in a dense cloud so that the people will hear me speaking with you and will always put their trust in you.
Then Moses told the Lord what the people had said.
And the Lord said to Moses,
Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow.
Have them wash their clothes and be ready by the third day,
because on that day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.
Put limits for the people around the mountain and tell them,
Be careful that you do not approach the mountain or touch the foot of it.
Whoever touches the mountain is to be put to death.
They are to be stoned or shot with arrows.
Not a hand is to be laid on them.
No person or animal shall be permitted to live.
Only when the ram's horn sounds a long blast may they approach the mountain.
After Moses had gone down the mountain to the people,
he consecrated them and they washed their clothes.
Then he said to the people,
Prepare yourselves for the third day.
Abstain from sexual relations.
On the morning of the third day,
there was thunder and lightning with a thick cloud over the mountain
and a very loud trumpet blast.
Everyone in the camp trembled.
Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God
and they stood at the foot of the mountain.
Mount Sinai was covered with smoke
because the Lord descended on it within fire.
The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace
and the whole mountain trembled violently.
As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder,
Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him.
The Lord descended to the top of Mount Sinai
and called Moses to the top of the mountain.
So Moses went up.
Let's jump to chapter 20 starting at verse 1.
And God spoke all these words.
I am the Lord your God
who brought you out of Egypt,
out of the land of slavery.
You shall have no other gods before me.
You shall not make for yourself an image
in the form of anything in heaven above
or on the earth beneath
or in the waters below.
You shall not bow to them or worship them.
For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God,
punishing the children for the sin of the parents
to the third and fourth generation
of those who hate me,
but showing love to a thousand generations
of those who love me and keep my commandments.
You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.
For the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless
who misuses his name.
Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
Six days you shall labour and do all your work,
but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.
On it you shall not do any work,
neither you nor your son or daughter,
nor your male or female servant,
nor your animals,
nor any foreigner residing in your towns.
For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth,
the sea and all that is in them,
but he rested on the seventh day.
Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day
and made it holy.
Honour your father and your mother,
so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not give false testimony against your neighbour.
You shall not covet your neighbour's house.
You shall not covet your neighbour's wife
or his male or female servant,
his ox or donkey,
or anything that belongs to your neighbour.
This is the Lord's word and law to us today.
Well, good morning, everyone.
A warm welcome if you're visiting this morning.
My name is David.
I'm a pastor here.
Will you please pray with me as we come to God's word?
Lord, I'm conscious that my words can't display your greatness
as we've just sung, but your words can.
And I ask that you would speak powerfully through your word
and point us to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Pour out your spirit among us now.
In Jesus' name I pray.
Amen.
Well, you might think all this fire and being afraid,
this is maybe why you don't really like coming to church
and this Bible reading.
But maybe Bob Dylan can help us see
how freeing the Ten Commandments are.
Here's Bob Dylan.
You may be an ambassador to England or France.
You may like to gamble.
You may like to dance.
You may be the heavyweight champion of the world.
You might be a socialite with a long string of pearls.
You may be a businessman or some high-degree thief.
You may call...
They may call you doctor or they may call you chief.
John called me chief just the other day.
Thanks, John.
You may be a preacher preaching spiritual pride.
You may be a city councilman taking bribes on the side.
But you're going to have to serve somebody.
Yes, you are.
You're going to have to serve somebody.
Serve somebody.
Well, there's Bob Dylan, if I can't convince you.
To be human is to live for something.
You've got to live for something.
And whatever that something is gives your life meaning,
whether it's in your business as a businessman
or a socialite with your long string of pearls.
Whatever you centre your life on,
whatever is part of that core of who you are
that gives your life meaning,
whatever is at the centre,
you're serving that thing.
You've got to serve somebody.
You've got to live for something.
Whatever you're living for, you're serving.
Well, the Hebrews were slaves to...
They were serving an absolute monarch,
Pharaoh, in Egypt.
They were burdened with heavy work
to build Pharaoh's cities.
They were afflicted, their boys thrown into the Nile.
God heard their cries.
He came with power in the ten plagues
and rescued them.
And Pharaoh chased after them.
And at the Red Sea,
they walked through on dry ground.
And Pharaoh,
all their enemies are destroyed in a moment.
Now, if we were writing Exodus,
if we were reading Exodus,
maybe we want the story to stop there.
They're free.
That's freedom, isn't it?
It's a blank slate.
They're in the wilderness.
They don't have any masters over them.
Isn't that what our culture says freedom is?
Freedom from all restraints?
Freedom to give expression to your desires,
to build your identity on whatever you want.
I'm an architect.
I play for the junior nights.
I'm an involved mum with career aspirations.
That's freedom, isn't it?
Wilderness.
As we come to the Ten Commandments,
are Israel swapping one tyrant for another?
Because Yahweh's repeated goal of setting them free
is really clear.
He says to Pharaoh again and again,
let my people go,
that they may serve me in the wilderness.
We're only going to see life and freedom
if we agree with Bob Dylan.
You've got to serve somebody.
You've got to.
The question is,
are you building your life
on the right thing,
on the right someone?
Right.
We find it really, really hard,
I think close to impossible,
without God's help,
to understand God's desire for our obedience.
We find this so hard.
The obedience God demands
is in response to salvation.
It's not to earn salvation.
And that's true here for Israel.
If you're following along in your Bibles,
19 verse 4,
you yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians
and how I bore you on eagles' wings
and brought you to myself.
Now therefore,
God's initiative,
God's choice,
God's doing,
God's grace,
saved,
therefore,
obey.
We find that so hard
to get our heads around.
In ancient times,
they built their cities around mountains
or a man-made mountain
so that they could climb up,
offer the sacrifices to the gods
and bring the blessing down on their lives.
That might sound primitive to us today,
but aren't we still climbing?
Isn't our society still,
by our own resources,
climb, climb, climb,
bring blessing down on your life?
Work harder.
Be smarter.
Climb the social competition,
climb the corporate ladder.
Get into the property market
by your own resources.
Climb, climb, climb
and bring blessing down on yourself.
God's city is built
on totally opposite,
which is what principle,
it's totally opposite principle.
God comes down.
We don't climb up.
He comes down.
You are completely accepted.
You have nothing to prove.
You already fully belong to me.
I did it all.
Therefore,
obey.
We struggle to get our head around that.
But if we do,
it radically changes our motivation
for obedience.
Because if God has given all of himself to us,
or to Israel,
he now wants Israel to reciprocate,
give all of themselves to him.
I think part of the proof
that we don't get this is,
I wonder if your mind,
your heart is asking,
well,
if it's all God's doing,
if I'm accepted,
I'm valued,
I'm loved,
all by God's doing,
what's the motivation to obey?
If the fear of punishment is removed,
what's the motivation?
Let's have a look at God's purposes for the law.
Israel's high calling.
Look at chapter 19,
verses 5 and 6.
Ancient monarchs,
they owned everything.
The roads,
the buildings,
the citizens.
But,
there would be certain items
they would have for their own enjoyment.
There would be people
they would invite to sit at their table
to enjoy their presence.
The Lord owns everything.
He owns North Korea.
He owns all the nations.
He owns the stars.
And Israel,
when you obey me,
you can know that I'm treasuring you.
The law tells Israel how to please God.
When you fall in love with someone,
what you do is you work out what,
what does it,
what pleases that person?
And you want to give it.
And it doesn't feel like coercion.
Because your happiness is,
you place it in their happiness.
God hasn't left us aiming in the dark
to know what he wants.
He says to Israel,
here's how you can please me.
And when you do this,
you can know
I'm treasuring you.
You're mine.
You're my special possession.
Obey so that you know
that I'm treasuring you.
This was never meant to remain
the sole privilege of Israel.
And we see this with the other
descriptions of their calling.
They to be a kingdom of priests
and a holy nation.
God wants all the nations
to look at Israel
and see justice
and peace
and prosperity
and a satisfaction
in God treasuring them.
He wants Israel to be a light
for the nations.
I know priests
is a term
that is mixed up
with pretty negative stuff
for us in Australia
given all the scandals.
But if you think about
what a priest is,
a priest has
access to God.
A priest knows God.
Or ought to.
These are all ought to.
A priest goes in to God
on someone else's behalf.
The whole nation of Israel
would have access
to this God.
This God will be dwelling
in their midst.
The way they live
was to represent
the nations
and bring the nations
to God.
If they obey the law,
their society
would just be so different
from every other society
on earth.
Their calling
is to attract
the nations to God,
to show the world
a radically different way.
So treasured possession
is why they should obey.
To draw the nations
to God
as a kingdom of priests
being so different
from every other culture
that lives.
God wants to be known
first by Israel
and then all the world.
That's really good news
that God wants to be known.
We see here
he wants to make
a covenant.
This isn't just
head knowledge about God.
He wants
covenant binding
commitment
like a marriage.
Now instead of signing
the marriage
certificate
at the end
of this covenant
in chapter 24
they sacrifice
animals
and Moses
gets the blood
and sprinkles
it.
Sprinkles the blood
on the people.
It's quite a visual sign
of God wants
a binding
commitment.
The blood saying
so be it done
to me.
if I break this.
He wants
binding commitment.
He wants
to be known.
He's coming down.
But we see
here how hard
it is
for sinful people
to get close
to God.
one of my first
theology essays
at Bible
college
I picked
a subject
a topic
that
some of my
classmates
didn't dare to pick
and I think
I was pretty smug
and
people were
asking me
while I was
writing
about my
research
then I got
my mark
back.
I'm not
going to tell
you my mark
but
you might
fire me
but
I was
emotionally
and psychologically
crushed
for weeks.
It just
put me
into a spin.
imagine if I
came face
to face
with theology
himself
if a mark
could do that
to me.
Imagine
if God
if I got
close to God
the weight
of his
being
I think
it would be
like an
elephant
trying to
give a
mouse
a cuddle
just the
weight
of his
being
or the
light
of his
goodness
it would
be more
clarity
than your
8k
television
it would
just expose
all the
dark spots
in me
the depths
of my
evil
he's
described
here as
fire
he's
holy
fire
he's
so
different
to us
don't
think
of
God
as
just
a
bigger
version
of
ourselves
he's
so
different
and
he's
so
pure
the
ten
commandments
with more
clarity
than ever
before
in history
show us
his
character
he
is a
God
who
loves
truth
he
loves
justice
he
wants
love
he
is
jealous
for
all
your
heart
he
wants
us
to
love
our
neighbour
as
our
self
so
he
wants
to
be
known
but
we
see
how
difficult
it
is
we
run
into
that
human
problem
we
were
made
to
know
God
he
wants
a
binding
covenant
but
we
can't
live
with
God
we
can't
live
without
him
and
we
can't
live
with
him
I
don't
know
if
you
notice
here
that
we
need
a
mediator
Moses
is
going
up
and
down
up
and
down
up
and
down
we
need
someone
a
holy
man
to
connect
God
and us
we
need
there
is
no
such
thing
in
the
Bible
in
reality
of
a
relationship
with
God
without
a
mediator
so
many
good
reasons
for
the
law
God
wants
to
be
known
he's
calling
Israel
be a
light
to the
nations
to draw
people
to
myself
we
should
be
cheering
Israel
on
come
on
succeed
bring
the
nations
to
God
the
elders
and
all
the
people
of
Israel
say
all
that
the
Lord
has
spoken
we
will
do
we
will
be
obedient
but
the
law
has
another
purpose
it
reveals
a
deeper
slavery
in
Israel
than
Egypt
a
much
deeper
one
inside
we've
seen
a
foretaste
of
it
with
their
grumbling
in
the
wilderness
there's
a
slavery
in
every
human
heart
and
the
law
reveals
that
slavery
I
came
across
a
really
I
suppose
it's
a
poetic
description
of
the
idea
of
morals
and
ethics
in
our
society
at
the
moment
this
isn't
a
Christian
saying
ethics
is
so
far
from
the
very
structure
of
the
cosmos
it's
not
built
into
the
cosmos
in
other
words
it's
a
matter
of
personal
taste
like
a
designer
label
sewed
into
the
inside
lining
of
conscience
it's
personal
taste
like
a
designer
label
sewed
into
the
inside
lining
of
personal
conscience
how's
that
going
for
us
in
Australia
government
website
says
that
in
2022
2023
one
woman
was
killed
every
11
days
in
Australia
from
their
intimate
partner
one
man
every
91
days
isn't
that
awful
we
were
sharing
our
online
scam
stories
around
the
dinner
table
the
other
day
imagine
a
society
that
didn't
target
the
elderly
to
scam
them
out
of
their
retirement
savings
who
actually
gave
honour
to
the
elderly
these
laws
I
want
to
live
here
I
think
these
laws
are
written
on
our
conscience
I'm
not
going
to
defend
them
I
think
we
know
they're
good
they
would
create
such
a
true
community
of
trust
the
first
four
show
us
what
it
means
to
love
God
the
six
after
that
show
us
what
it
means
to
love
our
neighbor
I
love
them
and yet
there's
something
about
me
that
if
God
sees
my
heart
and not
just
my
behavior
I've
broken
them
all
how
can
that
be
and
the
law
also
shows
us
how
our
hearts
really
work
there's
a
priority
in the
Ten
Commandments
Martin
Luther
the
reformer
pointed out
the
priority
of the
first
commandment
God
is
jealous
he's
not
insecure
and
needy
but
he's
like
a
husband
who
is
jealous
when
another
man
places
his
hand
on
his
wife's
knee
he
gets
jealous
that's
a
very
good
thing
he's
like
a
husband
he
will
not
share
if
we
if
I
loved
God
we
wouldn't
break
the
other
commandments
I
wouldn't
lie
I
just
think
about
why
do
I
lie
sometimes
it's
to
protect
my
reputation
sometimes
it's
to
make
sure
I
get
some
outcome
I
really
want
sometimes
it's
to
avoid
punishment
in
other
words
something
in
that
moment
is
more
central
to
me
is
more
important
to
me
than
God
if
God
was
before
me
I
would
love
truth
no
matter
the
cost
if
I
love
God
I
wouldn't
covet
I
order
something
at
a
restaurant
I
see
what
Emma
gets
and
then
I'm
coveting
what
she
chose
that
food
envy
I
can
covet
people's
health
people's
fitness
I
covet
people's
intelligence
I
covet
their
charisma
their
discipline
someone
even
has
gifts
in
church
someone
preaches
better
than
me
coveting
their
gifts
I
can
look
at
another
church
and
go
wow
they're
thriving
it's
everywhere
I
turn
every
waking
moment
coveting
is
not
letting
God
be
God
I
could
look
at
a
nice
house
and
say
well
they've
got a
really
lovely
house
it's
much
nicer
than
mine
and
that's
okay
God
is
God
he's
good
he
knows
what
he's
doing
no
I
must
change
my
lot
I
must
have
that
barbecue
they've
got
I
don't
know
whatever
it is
for you
I'm
probably
speaking to
the men
here
talking about
barbecues
I
wouldn't
covet
if God
was
centre
in my
life
if I
was
content
finding
in him
what
things in
this
world
can
never
satisfy
when
we
break
the
other
commandments
something
other
than
God
in
that
moment
is
more
central
and
desirable
the
law
puts
up
this
mirror
it's
very
uncomfortable
isn't
it
the
law
puts
up
this
mirror
the
law
is
good
but
it
shows
me
my
heart
it
shows
Israel
their
heart
and there's
a deep
slavery
there
much
deeper
than
willpower
can
overcome
we
should
be
cheering
Israel
on
come
on
obey
we
didn't
read it
but
before
Moses
even
comes
down
from
the
mountain
with
the
two
tablets
one
copy
for
God
one
copy
for
his
people
they're
already
committing
spiritual
adultery
on
their
wedding
night
the
law
shows
us
a
really
deep
slavery
in
the
human
heart
and
it
prepares
us
for
many
years
later
when
a
Jewish
man
stands
on
a
mountain
and
says
you've
heard
that it
was
said
to
those
of
old
you
shall
not
murder
but
I
say
to
you
that
everyone
who
is
angry
with
his
brother
will
be
liable
to
judgment
you've
heard
that it
was
said
you
shall
not
commit
adultery
but
I
say
to
you
that
everyone
who
looks
at
a
woman
with
lustful
intent
has
already
committed
adultery
with
her
in
his
heart
do
not
think
I
have
come
to
abolish
the
law
or
the
prophets
I
have
not
come
to
abolish
them
but
to
fulfill
them
Jesus
keeps
the
law
and
that
he's
unlike
anyone
who's
ever
existed
he keeps
the
law
but he's
saying
much
more
than
that
when
he says
I've
come
to
fulfill
the
law
he's
saying
the
law
pointed
forward
to
a
time
to
a
goal
I
am
that
goal
I
am
a
greater
mediator
than
Moses
coming
down
from
heaven
and
he
creates
a
covenant
with
much
better
blood
he
takes
that
cup
this
is
the
new
covenant
in
my
blood
he
sprinkles
his
people
not
your
blood
will
be
spilled
my
blood
the
judgment
that
the
law
shows
that
we
deserve
all
taken
on
him
the
condition
of
the
mosaic
covenant
if
you
obey
is
fulfilled
once
and for
all
by the
obedience
of
Jesus
God
is
just
as
holy
today
his
beauty
and
perfection
is
a
consuming
raging
fire
but
in
Jesus
the
limits
to
the
mountain
are
taken
off
the
fear
of
judgment
is
gone
there's
a
trumpet
blast
come
summoning
us
come
not
to a
mountain
come
into
heaven
itself
and pray
in the
name
of
Jesus
our
father
you can
in
Jesus
we can
call
this
holy
God
our
father
all
with
faith
in
Jesus
and
what
he
has
done
we're
not
gathered
at a
mountain
we're
not
we're
not
just
gathered
here
this
morning
if
you're
a
believer
we're
gathered
in
the
sun
I want
to read
a bit
of
1
Peter
2
9
and
10
talking
to the
church
you are
a chosen
race
a royal
priesthood
a holy
nation
a people
for his
own
possession
that you
may
proclaim
the
excellencies
of him
who
called
you out
of
darkness
into
his
marvelous
light
once
you
were not
a
people
but now
you are
God's
people
once
you
had
not
received
mercy
but now
you
have
received
mercy
do you
notice
the key
difference
in that
passage
there's
no
conditional
if
you
obey
in
Christ
in
the
sun
you
are
it's
just
a
description
now
it's
God's
nature
to
give
all
of
himself
the
father
giving
all
things
to
his
son
the
son
gladly
giving
all
of
himself
to
the
father
in
obedience
the
father
sending
his
son
to
rescue
us
to
bring
us
into
his
marvelous
light
the
son
sprinkling
us
with
his
blood
our
jealous
God
calls
us
to
respond
to
his
self
giving
by
giving
all
of
ourselves
to
him
to
serve
God
is not
slavery
we were
made to
know
him
we were
made for
our
pleasure
to be
in
God's
treasuring
in us
pleasure
in
us
it
is
his
supreme
act
of
love
to
demand
that
we
serve
him
with
all
our
hearts
because
we're
made
for
him
our
joy
is
full
when
we
give
all
of
ourselves
to
him
well the
angels
in
heaven
cry
holy
I think
they're
saying
more
than
moral
is
God
I think
it's
deeper
than
that
it's
more
like
you
are
God
you
are
God
you
are
God
and
this
God
says
to
his
church
his
blood
bought
church
you
are
my
holy
nation
I
know
I'm
struggling
here
are you
getting
something
of the
privilege
of that
in
the
son
you
are
you
are
my
holy
nation
by
yourself
by the
way
I just
want
to
point
that
out
the
church
as we
relate
to one
another
gathered
around
Christ
we're
called to be
a light
to declare
his praises
how we relate
to one
another
in true
worship
true
love
our
identity
is
so
transcendent
it should
transcend
anything else
that would
divide us
any
difference
amongst us
at the
moment
it's
just
diversity
in the
one
true
people
of
God
I hope
we sense
something
of the
privilege
of being
the
church
of the
living
God
let me
finish
you're
gonna
serve
somebody
you're
gonna
if you
center
your life
on any
other
thing
even
good
things
if you
build your
identity
and your
purpose
on that
thing
it will
crush
you
when you
fail it
or when
it
fails
you
if you
run into
the arms
of the
holy
God
his
son
creates
a new
covenant
with
sprinkled
blood
and he
gives us
a transcendent
calling
to be
his people
to be a
light
to the
world
for
church
you
are
a
royal
priesthood
a
holy
nation
a
people
for
his
own
possession
that
you
may
proclaim
the
excellencies
of
him
who
called
you
out
of
darkness
into
his
marvelous
light
once
you
were
not
a
people
but
now
you
are
God's
people
once
you
had
not
received
mercy
now
you
have
to
receive
mercy
father
we
thank you
for
your
son
who
you
see
us
in
him
our
failures
as far
removed
from you
as the
east
is from
the
west
his
blood
taking
all
that
away
and
his
obedience
is
now
our
obedience
your
pleasure
in
your
son
is
now
your
pleasure
in
us
father
we
find
this
so
hard
to
comprehend
i pray
that
you
give
us
spiritual
power
to
understand
the
depths
of
your
love
so
that
we
might
respond
to
you
in
obedience
and
count
it
as
life
not
only
duty
but
our
joy
to
give
all
of
ourselves
to
you
our
God
who
gave
all
of
himself
to
us
please
help
us
in
this
church
to
live
up
to
our
calling
forgive
us
when
we
don't
in
Jesus
name
Amen